Innovation
by Roa Michiyo
Summary: Draco Malfoy corners Hermione in a hallway one fateful afternoon. He sweet talks her into taking a potion that lets her see everything she's done in the last 24 hours. What will happen when she changes everything about herself?
1. The Last Breakfast

**Hello everyone. I'm sorry, but I have been struck with an inspiration for THIS story, and have put the other one on hold. Once again, sorry. **

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. I sorely wish I did though. _**  
**_

_**The Last breakfast**_

Hermione Granger sighed in frustration, slamming her book down onto the breakfast table, causing silver cutlery to jump.

"WHAT RONALD?"

Ron Weasley's ears turned bright red, and he silently put the chart on the table. His previous "Hermione, Hermione, Hermione, Hermione…" bout to get her attention was now quashed in her anger at being disrupted. She merely glared at him.

"I don't think so. Listen here Ronald, I have 3085 pages to read still, and YOU want ME to look over YOUR homework? In a class that is completely rubbish anyways? I don't think so." She snarled, brushing away bushy brown hair and rolling her eyes.

"Oh come one, it won't hurt you…You could just tell me…"  
Hermione leaned over, took a glance at the parchment, long enough to determine it had writing on it, before leaning back, picking up her book and opening it.

"And…?" Ron pressed, clutching his spoon in his right hand.

"It's wrong." Hermione said from behind the book. Her bossy tone was muffled due to the old thing, but it didn't stop Ron from ruffling his imaginary feathers with indignation.

"YOU DIDN'T EVEN LOOK! I could have written it in Viking and you wouldn't have noticed. I could have repeatedly written swear words in all the languages I can think of…"  
"Which would be…English?" Hermione retorted from behind her paged fortress.

"God Hermione! All I did was ask you to…"  
" Like you've been asking me to do since you met me! Excuse me if I have better things to do than hang around, waiting for YOU to get off your arse and do something mildly interesting!" she snapped, calmly turning a page, despite the outrage that tapered her voice.

Harry Potter laughed. Ron scowled and snatched back the divination chart, before digging his spoon into his breakfast. Ron and Harry had both shot up, and muscled up throughout puberty. Ron now being a 6 foot 4 and Harry an even 6 foot, they both towered over Hermione's 5 foot 4. Harry's hair was still stubbornly unruly, while his emerald green eyes glinted from beneath his glasses. Ron's hair was a thickly ruffled red mop, while his blue eyes sang a song of warmth. Both boys were protective of their female friend, and despite their size, were frequently seen wincing as she stood on her tiptoes, brandishing a wand and a slew of threats. Even the most attractive witches at Hogwarts sought after both males.

Hermione had changed too. She now filled every man's dream under her robes with a body that most females would turn green for. Her hair had not changed. It was slightly longer, but still made her look like a yield sign. She still worked at a mile a minute, and constantly had to be told to breathe when she was answering questions. Her bossy attitude scared most males who believed there was something under her cloak and thick woolen robes to go after.

The great hall was currently a flurry of activity. A new week had started, and students were milling about, doing certain things that their houses do before breakfasts.

The Hufflepuffs were sitting in straight lines, talking to everyone within an ear's range with enthusiasm, and offering help and finished homework for copying.

Ravenclaws were mildly interesting, passing tests along, asking eachother questions, giving advice, sharing theories, and reading.

The gryffindors were rowdy, throwing food, laughing and telling jokes. Kids were constantly getting up and running to other ends of the table to deliver news. Bangs were often heard, along with the common swear word.

The Slytherins were in groups of 4-6 along their tables, talking quietly, smirking, laughing occasionally, and passing notes from one group to another.

Sunlight streamed into the large hall, and owls occasionally swooped out, delivering news after waiting for replies after the morning papers. The teachers who were left at the table talked amongst themselves, or sat behind a pile of paper work, bits of food dangling from their mouths, or a fork weaving it's way absentmindedly through eggs as they scribbled down marks onto assignments.

"Hey Harry! What's green and flies backwards?" Seamus Finnagin asked, from Hermione's right.

Harry pondered and Ron looked properly wary.

"I dunno. What?"

"Mucus." Hermione muttered from her spot. All three males looked at her.

"What?" Ron asked, not sure he heard right.

"Mucus goddamn it! Snot! Hork! Green stuff! Gold! Nasal defense! Glue! BOOGERS!" She said with total exasperation, closing her book and banging her head on it's cover.

"Way to ruin a good joke." Seamus said, looking put out.

"Yeah, so much for a punchline!" Dean called, snorting back what was supposedly the punchline.

"Urgh. Use a bloody tissue you disgusting creature!" some random girl yelled from along the table. Hermione stared glumly at the tabletop, wondering how the hell she knew that that was going to be the answer. Years ago she would have been revolted, and now it was part of the normality of her life. Boy jokes. Oh dear god.

She glanced at her watch and inwardly groaned. The hand that said "Hermione" was pointing at "Going to class" and the hand that said "Motivation" was hovering above "Pluto". Gathering her books, she put them in her bag. This was the que for the rest of the hall to start packing their bags and heading off.

"Bye guys. I'll see you later. I don't have any classes with you today, so I'll see you at lunch, or dinner. And don't be asses to Mcgonagall. " she said, as both boys grinned innocently and waved. Shouldering her backpack, she walked out of the hall, directly across the entrance hall, and into the dungeon opening.

Here, the corridors were lined with lights, every 10 feet. It wasn't as slimy as it was humid.

Hermione sighed.

Her last relationship had been with Dean. It had exploded into a nasty ending when she pushed him into the lake for being forceful. He'd been bitter towards her since then. She supposed she wasn't right for him, or vice versa. Hermione figured if she waited long enough, some guy would come for her, and be attracted to her personality.

Suddenly, a glass canister of ink exploded all over her Mary-Janes, washing them in maroon ink.

"Aw, shit." Hermione muttered, stooping to examine the damage to the pocket that the ink well had fallen from.

"_Reparo"_ she muttered and the seam healed.

She studied the mess on the ground and her shoes. Figuring she wasn't going to need an empty ink well, she waved her wand, and cleaned up the whole mess.

Suddenly, the hairs on her neck stood up, and she stilled, sensing something was behind her. She whipped around, and surveyed the passage, looked up at the ceiling, and tried to probe into all dark corners. She had never understood why the main characters in movies and such looked around, and not above them or behind them first. It was stupid.

Satisfied that there was no monster in the corners watching her every move and calculating how long her legs were with how forceful a kick was, she moved along, bringing her wand up closer to her hip.

Suddenly, a force hit her from behind, and they both stumbled into an alcove. Hermione's wand clattered to the floor, and her surprised scream was quickly silenced.

To a normal student waltzing to Potions, the hall was empty, and silent as a pyramid.

**Thanks for reading! The chapters will most likely get longer, as the plot thickens. I deeply apreciate comments. I'm vain, so try to fuel my ego, 'kay? I know you're all capable of doing that. THANKS! I love you all. **

**-Suzanne **


	2. Le Discomforture

**Hi! I tried to get this finished and up as soon as possible. Thank you all for the wonderful reveiws, and I hope you'll keep doing so! **

Le Discomforture

The rock of the hard stonewall dug into Hermione's shoulder as hard as the hand clamped around her mouth forced her tooth into her lip. She clenched her eyes shut, as if she was afraid of seeing who had her roughly trapped against a dank wall in an empty dungeon corridor. In a vain attempt at struggle, she kicked her legs, and screamed. The sound was muffled and weak as the breathing of both beings was labored. It had her shoulder trapped against her, and her body pressing against it, immobilizing it. Her other arm was bent at such an odd angle, one would think it broken, and intertwined with her attacker's, who was leaning against her.

After about 45 seconds of pure struggle, she stopped moving. Holding her eyes closed, Hermione leaned her head against the cold stonewall.

"Urgh. I can't believe I'm _touching_ you." A disgusted voice dripped in her ear.

Hermione's eyes popped open. And instantly connected with stormy gray ones.

Draco Malfoy had Hermione Granger pressed against a wall in the dungeon, with his face inches from hers. That was a sentence you won't read very often.

He removed his hand from her mouth with an immense look of hatred, and wiped it on her cloak. It didn't stop her from speaking her mind, however.

"Malfoy! You foul, disgusting little gutless worm! I could easily disembowel you with a flick of my wand, and you and your horrible insides would be spilled all over the floor for everybody to tread on. They'd spit on you, they'd step on you…" she snarled, trying to move away, causing him to paralyze her further.

"Shut your filthy little mouth. Why would you spill me on the ground? Try to bring me down to your level? Dirt?"  
"If anybody is dirty it's gonna be you, ferret face!" she shrieked.

" Well, some one has a lot of pent up anger they need to express!" He smirked, moving his face closer.

" Don't you get any closer! Harry and Ron would so flay you within an inch of your useless life!"  
"Empty threat, scummy. My father has said that since I was five. I think I've done a pretty good job getting around the useless part, don't you?"

"Oh yes! Life would just be so boring with out you! We all worship the ground you walk on!"

"I know, I know. Kiss my boots, fold my undies. Pansy gives me the same speech every morning. I hardly expected such endearment from you, though, Granger. Try to control your womanly urges." He drawled, his face remaining unbearably calm, and controlled.

Hermione lost all self-control she had. She spat in his face. He wiped it off with his free hand, and again, wiped it on her cloak.

"Um, ew?" He said, this time sounding indifferent. As if she had pointed out a cigarette butt, rather than projecting bodily fluids into his face.

"Let go of me! Now!" She snarled, thrashing to get away.

"No" he stated.

"Prick!"

"I do think with that organ too, thank you."

"I think all females know that." Hermione sneered.

"Wouldn't you love to be able to claim the same thing?" he shot back.

"Malfoy, please let go! You're hurting me!" she said, a plea entering her voice.

He laughed softly, shaking his head. Blond hair brushed her forehead and she shuddered with revulsion.

"Then why are you doing this?" she asked, her voice now hard. His eyes clouded over.

"Because you disgust me. You're worthless. You're ugly. And you think you're better than every one. You fit the bill of your average bookworm virgin. Know-it-all, Granger. Mudblood princess of the lion's den. The only woman in the boy-who-is-too-important-to-die's life. The yield sign. The bird. The background noise. And you bug me." He ranted, slowly, with a rising rumble in his voice.

Hermione tilted her head.

"Glad to be of service, your majesty." She answered with a solid growl.

"And you know what? You don't see it! And you know why?" He exploded.

" Because I don't need to see anything!"

"NO! Because you're blind!"

"To what, Malfoy? Tell me? How stupid am I? How ugly am I? How worthless am I? Why don't you just tell me? Huh?" she screamed in face. Tears were now building, as every word he said sliced into her little self-confidence.

"I will. I hate you. Everybody hates you. You do everything better than anyone else! But you have flaws. I know you do, because I am the only person who has come this close to flawless. You think that prince charming will sweep you away for your bitchy demeanor. You think that you'll always have the weasel and scarhead to do your bidding. Your hair is frizzy, and mousy, and makes you look like a triangle! You're prissy, and stuck up, you've got a stick shoved up your ass labeled 'Life' and YOUR GRADES ARE STUPID! Nobody should be able to know as much as you do! You're a disgusting mutant freak-of-nature, and when you die, you'll be put in an unmarked grave because nobody will care." He spat, finishing his tirade by slamming her against the wall again.

Hermione had shut her eyes in order to stop tears from flowing. This made him angrier.

"Look at me, filth."  
"No"

"NOW!"   
"NO! LEAVE ME ALONE! You're a bastard Malfoy! You really are! Nothing is wrong with me! There's more wrong with you than there is with me!" she screamed, now wrenching her eyes open and screaming at him with a hysterical pitch.

"Yeah? If you could see the last 24 hours of your life, would you honestly say that you were happy with how you are?" he asked.

"Yes. Because I'm not a back-stabbing son of chosen bitch, death eater puppet bastard." She said, now looking him straight in the eyes.

There was a furiously stony silence as he glared at her, a vein in his temple throbbing in the dim light. Hermione's breath hitched as his weight on her increased.

"If you could see yourself in the last 24 hours, would you be happy with who you are?" he asked again, slowly, as of he were gritting it out through his teeth.

"Yes. As I already stated." She said, venom creeping into her unsteady voice.

"Then do it."

His sudden release of her made her slide halfway down the wall, and feel extremely light. She pushed herself back up, and stared at him. He was standing in front of her, with his arms rigidly held, his gray eyes burning a furious fire. He was close enough that he wasn't going to let her go anywhere, but far enough that she could have her personal space.

"What do you mean, 'do it'?" she asked, a flash of confusion crossing her face.

"I'd give you the tools you need to see yourself in the last 24 hours you weren't sleeping. If I gave them to you, would you take them?" he asked, now sounding like a peer who was daring her to stick her tongue to a pole in the middle of the winter.

"Just to prove you wrong." She answered.

His hand went to his right pocket, and withdrew a bottle. She extended her hand, and he slapped it into her palm. Hermione looked at it in shock.

It was a little tiny bottle-like vial. It had intricate folds of glass, and was a deep purple blue. The glass folds of the bottle formed a tiny spiral on one side. Inside the spiral, were words. Delicately shaped in glass, with a formal, but scrawling script was:

'_Le ore di giudizio'_

Hermione spent a couple seconds running through her little Italian vocabulary.

"Hours of…"

"Judgment." Malfoy finished with a sneer.

Hermione suddenly understood. She straightened with a hiss of air.

"Malfoy! How in hell did you get this? It's so rare! It's an Elvin creation! It's…"

"Don't go all freakish worshipper on me, mudblood. Just bloody well take the shit." He said, brushing off her babbling.

"B-But…"

"Just do it."

"Fine."

On a spur of nerves, Hermione popped the bottle lid off, and downed the whole potion in one shuddering gulp, throwing caution about consuming a substance from Malfoy into the winds.

He raised his hand, a smirk playing on his lips, and waved goodbye with his fingers.

Hermione doubled over, as an invisible hand wrapped around her stomach and squeezed. She retched as the same hand pulled on the back of her eyeballs.

Then, she felt light, and floating. So light, she straightened and grinned stupid at Malfoy, who was watching with bored interest.

Then she passed out, slamming to floor with a resounding thud.

**Okay! You know what to do! Thank you so much for the reveiws! You keep reading and reveiwing, and I'll keep writing. Love you all! **

**-Suzanne **


	3. Let's do the time warp again!

**Let's do the time warp again!**

Hermione was spinning, and her breakfast was turning in her stomach. She felt her feet hit floor, and she didn't react immediately. Instead, she chose to pry herself off the ground. She didn't remember hitting it, and she didn't exactly feel whole.

With a deep breath, Hermione opened her eyes.

The dormitory she was standing in, was turning gray from the early morning sunlight that was drifting through the window. Hermione immediately recognized the room, because the strewn panties, make-up, clothing, and boy pictures that reigned with Parvati and Lavender gave it away. Movement caught Hermione's eye, and she froze. Then blinked in awe.

Hermione Granger was pulling herself out of bed, and untangling her bare leg from the curtain that surrounded her four-poster. She was muttering about cold floors and heavy draperies, as she bent over and heaved the trailing material back into place.

Hermione held her hand in front of her face, only to discover it was not there. Nobody could see her. That was good.

She moved closer to Lavender's bed, spying the girl in it sleeping in a camisole and underwear, face pressing into the pillow, her rear in the air, which made Hermione smile.

To be sure she couldn't hear her, Hermione coughed as loudly as she could. The earlier her didn't seem to hear, as she quietly pulled clothing out of her trunk, and stacked them on the edge of the heater in the center of the room.

Hermione watched herself gather her clothing, and toiletries, and pad over to the bathroom between the empty bed and Parvati's. As soon as the door clicked, the current Hermione fell onto her bed. When the shower started, Hermione realized she was going to be bored waiting for the day to get moving. If she remembered correctly, yesterday wasn't exactly eventful, and probably wouldn't be any more exciting to watch. Except now, she could probably see what every body else is doing at the same time, no longer having to concentrate on her own life. Like that note Sprout found and wouldn't let anyone read, and gave Seamus a week's detention for. Hermione made a mental note to look into that to make sure it had not involved Dean, and/or Ginny. Lavender made a muffled moaning noise that came with waking up slowly from across the room, and Hermione had to laugh. Getting up, Hermione eyed the bed.

No sense letting the houselves do all the work, was there? Goodness knows they had enough to do.

So, she set to work making the bed, and folding laundry, stacking books, dusting and airing her bed out after tying back the draperies. Her section of the room clashed horribly with tornado stricken décor the rest of the room had, now.

Finally, the bathroom door opened and Hermione waltzed out, carrying her pajamas balled and rolled into bundle. Her hair was extremely bushy.

That made the invisible Hermione's eyes widen and her eyes wash over herself critically. She seriously needed to lose this 'I-don't-care-what-anybody-says-at-least-I'm-hygienic' thing she had going. Look at that hair! It looks like dark brown tumbleweed in a triangular shape!

The showered Hermione stopped and blinked as she looked at her bed. Then realization washed over the visiting Hermione. So, it wasn't houselves that cleaned up, as she'd assumed! It was her future self, visiting her past self, and yesterday, or rather today, her future self had watched her current self, and did that, but when she was really thinking it was the elves! If that made sense, of course.

Judging from the pained frown the flitted over Hermione's face as she gazed at her neat area, she had just come to the wrong conclusion, as Hermione had done yesterday when gazing at the same result! Or was she doing it today gazing at the same result from a different perspective? Hermione shook her head. Time travel confused her.

"Ham-ine-ee…" Lavender yawned, now standing up, and stretching. Hermione glanced at her as she strapped her books into her bag.

" Honestly Lavender. You should really get up earlier. You're not going to have time to do anything." She said with a disapproving tone. The observer blinked, in confusion. What had Lav done to deserve that? She asked herself.

Lavender shrugged, now stalking over to her best friend's bed, and leaning in on the sleeping female.

"WAKE UP PARVATI! YOU'LL POP SOMETHING IF YOU SLEEP LIKE THAT ANY LONGER!" Lavender yelled into Parvati's ear, her British accent coming in loud and clear.

Hermione snapped.

"Jeez, Lavender. Why don't you wake the whole tower while you're at it?"

Parvati had sat up with a yelp when Hermione reprimanded, and had bashed foreheads with her human alarm clock.

Hermione picked up her bag, and left the dormitory with a huff, and a smartly closed door. Not calmly closed, yet not slammed. The future Hermione watched, knowing that she was going to take a nice, long traipse down to the Hall for breakfast, and that she wasn't missing anything special this side of straightening a portrait of Helga Hufflepuff to exactly 90 degrees on the second floor. It would also be interesting to know if the gossip queens had unresolved issues with her breakfast bound past image.

"Some one slipped Hermione a bitch potion." Lavender complained, rubbing her forehead, and trudging to the mirror to examine the damage and apply today's layer of makeup.

"I noticed. Does she do anything other than snap at us? I'm surprised your idea of leaving the room horribly filthy hasn't lost us our heads yet. Like last week when I came in four minutes after curfew! She spent 15 minutes telling me off. She's not even head, and she still told me off worse than the Head Girl Ackley ever has!" Parvati answered, throwing back the covers and pulling on robes.

This conversation could get VERY informative. It was Lav's idea to mess the room?

"And why were you four minutes late, Parvati?" Lavender asked, mimicking a stern Hermione.

"Please, 'Mione! Justin wanted a good-bye kiss! You'd totally understand, wouldn't you? Oh, wait, you're going all white virgin on us, haven't you?" Parvati answered in mock fear. Both of them laughed and continued to steer the conversation towards Parvati's exploits with Justin, which were very graphic, and rated too high for the fiction you are reading.

Hermione sighed. Was she THAT bitchy with Parvati and Lavender? To the point that they were AFRAID of her? That they wouldn't tell her about this stuff? Would she even be accepting of this stuff if they told her?

'No, I guess not' she answered herself, now slipping from the room with guilt and ridicule.

And she was on her way to breakfast.

Hermione watched herself with horror as she scolded two third year slytherins.

"That was totally indecent! Obviously you don't know how to treat a girl! And honestly you two! Kissing in the hallways? If you could call that kissing! If I ever catch either one of you at that act or anything similar again, I'll refer you to Snape, and personally inform your parents! " she shrieked, wagging her finger, while Harry and Ron shifted uncomfortably behind her.

The future Hermione flushed as Ron steadily reddened with one of her every words behind her back.

"Understand?"  
The girl and boy nodded.

"Now, get to your class!"

They took off.

"Uh, Hermione? Don't you think that that was a little harsh? They're just third years, after all. They don't have Sirius to worry about in their third year, so they need something to preoccupy them.."

"What's wrong with a nice book, Harry?" Hermione snapped, leveling a glare at the dark haired boy now. Harry didn't back down, as usual. It looked more impressive from an outside view, as Hermione was now finding out as she watched the scene play out, and remembered the emotions that were bubbling inside of her at that moment. And it wasn't the emotions that she expressed when she gave the younger kids flack for kissing. It swirled more around hurt, and longing. So, why had she acted so negatively?

'I guess I freaked out because they do what I want to.' Hermione reasoned with herself as Harry told Hermione that some books could be worse than kissing. Half the things that she threatened to do to the third years she didn't have the power to do anyways, as Ron so kindly pointed out at that time.

"Ron! Get out of it! You know that I could get those things worked out if I wanted!" Hermione snapped, throwing her bag over her shoulder and heading for the greenhouses.

It was after lunch, and Hermione hadn't necessarily had a great day so far. At breakfast, Ron had spilt orange juice on her, and despite the fact that it could be cleaned up with a word and flick of a long wooden stick, Hermione had still stormed and raged at him, while he sat there turning bright red, and Harry protested in Ron's defense. The future Hermione watched as people shook their heads at her and muttered as she let a pretty insulting comment slip out of her mouth about him. The past Hermione didn't even notice, wrapped up in what she was yelling at him.

"If you ever used you HEAD, Ronald, you could open your EYES! Then you would have seen me and you wouldn't have been such a lowly dolt and dumped orange juice on me!" she had screamed, causing Harry to scold, which he rarely did.

"Hermione! What's wrong with you? It's just orange juice! He didn't see you! He's not a dolt, and he's not lowly! Why are you so angry? It's such a little issue!" he asked, a look of confusion dashing his handsome features. Ron was red, and not looking anywhere but his plate.

"Nah, Harry, don't bother. It's okay. She's right. She always is." He said.

Which made Hermione scowl and say "FINE!" before slamming her book shut and heading to Ancient Runes.

Hermione watched herself go with mortification. What was wrong with her? All she knew is that she was feeling humiliated. Then it had hit her. She DID view herself as above everybody else. This little tidbit of hidden truths did not bode well with Hermione's ego, and had made her carry on watching through Ancient Runes with tears running down her face as she watched herself recite things from the text and look smug with herself as the teacher warily told her she was right and awarded 5 points.

Hermione had apologized to Ron after Transfiguration, and they had eaten a quiet and uneventful lunch together, Harry and Ron discussing Quidditch, while Hermione did homework over keish.

Only now was Hermione realizing how uptight and know-it-all she was. Even if she did fix Ron's bag, and patch Harry's pant leg when the two had collided with a roll of the eyes. It was even bugging herself, because she knew what emotions triggered these outbursts of bossiness. She was being unusually angry, and had a temper that was always simmering close to the surface.

It was slightly scary.

Another thing that got her was that she knew that her standards were too high. It had hit her in the stomach threefold as she watched herself tell off those kids.

She had always believed that a man would one-day fall madly in love with her for no reason. That her uptight tendencies would be attractive to Mr. Right. Obviously she'd been drugged, or something.

Now, Hermione's thoughts were rapidly spinning and shaking the foundation of many years of belief.

She now understood why the potion had its name. It was properly titled.

I'm sorry you guys! This took SO long to write. I've had large bouts of writer's block. And I'm busy with a whole slew of work and wrestling and stuff. I will try to make a regular update trail, but I'm not sure how this is going to fly. Please keep your enthusiastic faith in me!

I love you all!

-Suzanne


	4. En suite

En suite 

"Hey, look. Granger graced us with her unbelievably holy presence."

Hermione winced as she saw herself stop in the doorway to the prefects meeting. Draco Malfoy grinned to his friends triumphantly as she clenched her fists and muttered to herself.

"What's wrong Granger? Potter not hit the right spot last night?" Malfoy taunted, a look of pure venom on his face as she continued to her seat. She dropped her bag onto the shined oak tabletop, and carefully opened it and pawed through the contents.

"Aw, baby don't worry, you'll find a wand to push yourself off the edge sooner or later." Malfoy said, again probing for a reaction.

Hermione's face remained empty and slack as she pulled out an orange folder full of papers and set it beside a full inkwell of purple ink that Lavender gave her.

The future Hermione was amazed at her acting skills. She'd wanted to take Malfoy's eyes out of his head with an ice-cream scoop, and switch their places with his testicles. She looked as if she'd just gotten out of bed. Malfoy tried again.

"I guess he got what he wanted. You only charge 4 galleons an hour don't you?"

Hermione spun around and waved her wand. A smooth wordless motion, that got green cords to shoot up form his chair, and wrap themselves nicely around his chest, making him look like he was partly in a cocoon.

"Granger! You bitch! Put me down!" he yelled, struggling against the binds.

Hermione flicked her wand. The door to the hallway swung open and his chair picked up off the ground, drifting towards the ceiling. Malfoy's friends were dancing around the bottom of his chair yelling and snatching at the rungs.

Hermione's face was this side of purple. The future presence watched with some form of admiration of herself as she pointed her wand, and Malfoy's chair was hurled out the door, Malfoy screaming in it.

Everybody heard the chair's legs hit the floor outside, and screech along it. The display ended with a bang as the chair slammed into the wall across the hallway, and Malfoy's scream of pure fury.

Hermione walked steadily towards the open door, and raised her wand when one of Malfoy's minions tried to grab her. Hermione's spiritual judge followed with a wide grin on her face. This was highly amusing! She didn't know she'd been doing this magic without an incantation! Very few people could do that. She hadn't enjoyed it when she had done it because of the anger that was burning in her chest.

Stepping into the Hallway, she smiled at the gaping collection of prefects and posse that had accompanied Malfoy, before slamming the door.

"You're gonna pay for this. You are bloody well gonna wish that you were dead!" Malfoy snarled as she stalked up to him.

His calm anger, and her stony fury clashed against each other, keeping the corridor conveniently empty.

"Don't. Do. That. Again." She ground out.

"Why? It's as if you LIKE the attention." He spat back.

"That's not the point Malfoy! It's rubbish that you should have to make other people feel horrible to make yourself feel good! If you're so concerned about my sexual contentment, then why don't you just make everything a whole lot better by BUTTING OUT!" Hermione replied, jabbing him in the chest with the ending two words.

He merely glared at her.

Hermione's anger then intensified. The visiting Hermione sensed this was when she was going to start losing control. Remembering how the door had opened, causing her to stop yelling, jolted the observer to run to the door and fling it open.

Hermione stopped.

"Hermione?" The Head Girl, Melissa McSorley stood behind it, looking out into the corridor.

"Coming." Hermione snarled, and the cords strapping Malfoy to his wooden prison disappeared. With a deadly glare, Hermione retreated back into the classroom and sat at her desk calmly, while Malfoy shuffled in behind her and slunk into his place, under Melissa's stare.

Hermione followed herself back into the room, prepared to be bored out of her skull once again, as Melissa and the Head Boy, Spencer argued with her about Christmas decorations.

Malfoy said nothing, but Hermione saw him shoot incredibly frightening looks at her back as her past self wrote.

"Hermione! You missed dinner." Harry said, his nose inches from the board as he examined the mess of pieces he commanded while Ron propped his feet up on the windowsill. Apparently, Harry was the black side, judging from the lack of black pieces on the board.

Hermione dropped a bag of books onto a low table, while her future self sunk into a chair with absolute boredom. She had just spent the time from the prefects meeting, which was at 3:30, to now, 8:32 in the library, reading a book, and re-reading it three times to make sure she knew it off by heart.

Which caused Hermione to be especially bored with herself, knowing she had memorized it after reading it the first time. She just had not wanted to be around people, because she had been feeling incredibly taken for-granted. So she lounged on the table, and tried climbing bookshelves to be devious, while her past self spent hours on end reading a book on controlling transfigured animals.

The fact that people could not hear her when she yelled, screamed, or whispered and talked, could not feel her when she hit them, or see her at all disturbed her. Mind you, she had to be grateful that she could at least move things, and not go right through them. She was beginning to discover why Ron nagged her when she looked things up to be sure, and why people didn't spend copious amounts of time in the library. It was boring, and she knew damn well what she was talking about, even if she had fooled herself into looking things up when she didn't believe herself.

Another thing about Malfoy's sexual contentment comments was that she was NOT content, and that she was stiff and very rigid about what she did that was at all alluring. She had thought she was being provocative when she had two buttons of her blouse undone. But, when the future Hermione had looked around, and could see the bras of 4th years because their shirts were so undone, she could see that she was extremely old-fashioned.

"I had studying to do." Hermione said back to Harry, now approaching the window, and moving Ron's feet, before perching on it to observe the boys play.

"Studying? Hermione if you have to study, then we're all going to die. Besides, when Seamus came in and said that you had a nasty run in with Malfoy, we figured you had gone to report him or something." Ron said, after re-locating his feet on another high surface and squinting at the game to see how Harry had moved.

If Hermione had feathers, she would have ruffled them indignantly.

"I wasn't reporting _anybody_ Ronald. I was merely looking for maps of the school to give Melissa for decorations."  
"I thought you said you were studying." Harry said, now looking up quickly.

"Who's Melissa?" Ron asked, sounding confused.

Both Harry and Hermione stared in disbelief at him.

"Mel-is-sa." Hermione said, sounding it out for him.

"I know how to say it!" Ron snapped, moving his knight and disemboweling Harry's bishop. Harry cried out and swore.

"Melissa McSorley is our Head Girl, idiot!" Harry snapped, sending his Rook hurtling at the murderous knight.

Hermione massaged her temples as they began bowling pieces across the board and yelling profanities. With a sigh, she clubbed Ron and then Harry with her elbow.

"Grow up you two." She snapped, before picking up her bag and swinging it up her shoulder.

They were laughing hysterically and breathing hard as she stomped up the staircase to her dormitory. Hermione followed her own retreating self up the staircase slowly.

"And then he said…" Lavender inhaled.

"Oh, hi Hermione." Parvati said, jumping off the bed to snatch a jar of facial goop when Hermione shut the door.

Hermione nodded tiredly, before falling face-first into her bed.

"I heard you totally gave Malfoy a telling." Lavender giggled.

Hermione remembered how much this was beginning to annoy her. Parvati 'tsk'ed.

"Honestly, Hermione. Giving the hottest guy in Hogwarts a what-to isn't the best idea." She said, applying her facial gunk.

"The hottest guy in Hogwarts? Are you as deaf as you are blind?" Hermione sat up suddenly.

"Whatever, Hermione." Parvati uttered, as she commonly did. Both girls climbed into their respective beds, and pulled the hangings shut, leaving Hermione glaring at curtains where Parvati had been. Hermione watched herself get up and furiously strip and pull on some pajamas, before climbing into her own. She pulled her hangings shut, and the room was silent.

Hermione waited to be whisked back into her own time.

Nothing happened.

Fighting panic, she calmed herself, before sitting on the vacant bed of the room, and thinking it through.

Then one detail stuck out. 'View all hours that you are awake.'

She wasn't asleep. Hermione knew that her past self was lying in bed mourning over her lack of respect and friends, which she demanded and needed.

Hermione plopped down onto the bed. Waiting.

Then, the light feeling simmered in her toes.

Before she realized it, all had gone weightless.

And before she registered it, her vision had gone black.

**Hi guys! Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. I've been losing the battle with writer's block, and this morning was the only time I had any motivation to type up the ending to this story. I'm working on the chapters as much as I can, but there's a lot going on right now, and I had to cut myself some slack when Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire came out. I had to go see that opening day. But! I did get this up for you, so humor me and read and review, and I might get chapter 5 up tomorrow. **

**Love you guys, so much! Thank you! **

**-Suzanne **


	5. Change is good

Okay! Here goes nothing! I've prepped this fairly nicely in my opinion. Sorry it took so long!

_**Change is good.**_

Hermione blearily opened her eyes, and had to squeeze them shut again. The golden light filtering into the room was unbearably bright.

"Ms. Granger? Oh good! The headmaster will be so relieved!" Madame Pomfrey looked over her. Hermione sat up as she skirted around the bed and down the line of beds to a very sick looking 4th year girl.

"You may go, Lindsay. Your parents will pick you up tomorrow. Maybe you can come back next year and continue your education. Terribly irresponsible." She said as she rushed past the blond girl, who's head was dropped onto her hands. Hermione tried to call after the Matron, but the heavy oak doors had already slammed shut.

Throwing back the covers, Hermione checked her hands. They were there. Pale and elegant as normal. Angry, Hermione stomped across the cold stone floor, fully intending on going to find out WHY she wasn't watching herself during breakfast this morning.

The girl called Lindsay let out a sob.

Hermione stopped and looked at her. Glancing at the door, she felt the urge to go roaring after the healer, but sat on the bed beside the girl instead.

"Uhh…Lindsay, is it?" Hermione asked quietly, while noticing the snake symbol on her robes.

She looked up, and her bright blue orbs met Hermione's chocolate brown ones.

"Y-Yes. Lindsay Chase. You're…Hermione Granger." She said, wiping her face with her sleeve.

"Yeah, I am." Hermione said gently. The girl was obviously in distress about something huge.

"Hi." She said, trying to laugh through a hiccup. Hermione smiled slightly.

"Hi. Do…you wanna tell me what's wrong?" She asked hesitantly, treading on Pansy Parkinson's territory of henning the younger girls of Slytherin. Lindsay shook her head.

"Not really. I'm going to anyways, though."

Hermione waited. Lindsay took her time, her face screwed up, thinking.

"Slytherin isn't the greatest of places at times. In others, it's the best place in the world, but sometimes, it's like a shadow of hell settles over the place." Lindsay began, exhaling slowly. Hermione sensed a very quick summary approaching.

"And that's how I got pregnant. The boys get restless, and I don't know any spells…" she began to cry again.

Hermione's first instinct was to get up, tell her it was her fault, and walk away. Quick as a flash she saw the embarrassed faces of the third years she had scolded, and the mortification at her uptight tendencies. She suddenly felt very guilty about wanting to leave the girl in her world of pure hell.

Draping her arm across Lindsay's shoulders, she began to murmur words of comfort, rocking them slowly back and forth. The small blonde's sobs raked her body and forced her to shake.

They sat like that for a good 15 minutes, before she sat up.

"Thank you so much for doing this. You're the only one I told…Everybody else thinks I was careless." She smiled wanly.

Hermione grinned back.

Lindsay hugged her before getting up, shouldering her bag, and walking shakily out the door with a quiet thanks and goodbye.

"Ms. Granger, I dearly hope you did not go running around, you're unstable."

"Thank-you Poppy, Ms. Granger and I need to have a…talk."

Hermione winced as the Headmaster's voice overrode the elderly woman's.

As Pomfrey stalked away, Hermione made her way back to her bed, before sitting down. The head master perched himself on the bed next to hers, and gave her a long, calculating look.

"Ms. Granger, it has come to my attention that you have recently taken a potion that induced time travel. Back, in time, if Severus was correct." He said, peering at her curiously over the top of his spectacles. Hermione shifted.

"It was a Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter who found you on the Quidditch pitch, and carried you back up here in quite a panic." He continued.

"Professor, thank-you but I…"

"Ms. Granger, all I am doing is asking you what it was you ingested. That is all. I have no need for long-winded explanations for actions. It takes up the time of day that could be used for breathing." He said, the twinkle in his eye going nuts. Hermione almost smiled.

"I took the hours of judgment potion. Made by elves for goblins back during Merlin's War." Hermione said quietly.

"A complex potion."

"Not exactly tasty either." Hermione added, causing Dumbledore to chuckle.

"Poppy had you brought back, so I imagine you didn't get to complete your journey."

"No, not really." Hermione answered, a hint of testiness creeping into her voice.

He smiled, standing up again, and clapping her on the shoulder.

"I'm sure you had enough to climb onto a track that will carry you were you want to go." With a wink, he walked away, exiting the hospital wing. Hermione stared after him, mouth open, and confusion running amok around her head.

"Hermione! Oh gosh! I heard about you, and I was so worried, and I…are you okay? Snape said you had taken a potion to change your life permanently and we all assumed the worst and…" Ginny rambled. Hermione shushed her with a laugh.

The girl was tall, with creamy pale skin, and smooth elegant bones. Her wavy red hair fell to nearly her waist, and was always whipping out behind her. She very much resembled her brother with her chineton blue eyes, and bouncy attitude. Ginny's eyes held something a little more than knowledge.

"I took a potion to see myself in the last 24 hours. Technically, I missed out on the last couple, but…"

"Time travel? Isn't that impossible without a time turner? And didn't you and Harry break all the turners?" Ginny asked, confusion crossing her face. Hermione sighed.

"It was a rare potion, okay? Really rare…Elves for goblins…War for war…"

"Gold and comrades, lore and gore! Merlin is coming, in times of many, but thoughts are running, as far as any! I remember that. Mum used to sing it when she did the washing. Never understood what it meant." Ginny said, placing herself next to Hermione.

"It was talking about the war of Merlin. Elves and goblins were great participants." Hermione told her. Ginny nodded her head.

"The war that wiped out all the verish dragons."

Hermione nodded.

Ginny was quiet for a long time.

Finally, Hermione got up, and began pulling on clothing. She went to do up her blouse, and stopped, thinking about what she had seen in the library while her past self had studied. She left the top 3 buttons undone, and tied the sweater around her waist instead of sweating it out. She slid into her robes, and looked in a mirror.

Too fast, too fast, people will notice…I don't like it… 

Her mind was putting on the emergency brakes. Too much change. Too fast. Hermione ignored it.

"Ginny, have you got a hair spell that will help this rat's nest?" Hermione asked hesitantly. Ginny gaped at her.

"Are you still sick? Did that Elvin stuff addle your brains?" she asked, feeling Hermione's forehead with the back of her hand.

Hermione swatted at her.

"No, I'm just sick of looking like a poodle. That's all." Hermione said shrewdly. Ginny giggled, pointing her wand at Hermione's hair.

"_Vivaire."_

Hermione stared into the mirror in shock. Her hair had kept it's general and natural shape, but had clamed significantly, and now hung perfectly in beautiful waves around her shoulders, looking as thick and healthy as any muggle hair model's.

"Close your mouth, it's not becoming." Ginny's mirthful voice said into her ear.

Hermione gathered her hair in her hand, and pulled it into a high, messy bun, letting natural pieces fall and highlight her heart-shaped face.

"Gin, you just worked a miracle."

"I could have done so earlier, had you unbuttoned your blouse sooner. I see it tends to make you loosen up." Her redhead friend answered. Hermione knocked her shoulder lightly. She looked at herself in the mirror. She didn't resemble Pansy or Lavender in the way they _styled_ their clothes, but she didn't look like the librarian now either. She looked…normal. Slightly on the chancy, carefree side. To comfort herself on losing grips, she did up the third button, so two were only open. There, now she looked normal.

Ginny undid the button she had just done up.

"Three equals open. Four equals slutty. Two equals stuck up. All done up equals a Hermione." She said, making Hermione complain about the reference.

The two began to exit the hospital wing, Hermione still getting used to the way the air her skin on her collarbones, and the way her hair felt tossable, and not like a cotton ball.

Ginny bonded ahead of her, sometimes turning around and egging her on, or grabbing her and dragging her along. Hermione felt a smile coming on.

Screw being embarrassed. She had a life to explore. She raced Ginny up to the tower, yelling and shouting to each other, Ginny making perverted comments that made Hermione playfully scold her.

Change was good, so far.

**YAY! Okay. I got this up. Now please be my faithful readers and read and review. I forgive you if your keyboard was broken, or your fingers had an incurable fungus. You can use a library computer, and type with your nose! **

**I love y'all. Thanks for being the best! **

**-Suzanne**


	6. Liar

**Lair. **

**I'm so sorry! I've been kinda grounded, and my mother thinks my grades are plummeting because of fanfiction. Here goes.**

Hermione and Ginny stopped at the portrait hole. Ginny turned to her, face flush from laughing, and watched her friend bite her lip. Harry and Ron, were behind that door, pacing and worried. It was obvious Hermione realized that too, and the fun mood that had risen, was settling on the floor like unwanted dust.

The fat lady peered down at them, her over-plucked eyebrow arching.

"Are you just going to stand there?" she asked, her voice wavering with confusion.

"We are until we want you to open, so shut your face!" Ginny snapped, causing her to flap her mouth in shock. The redhead glared at her, and she raised her nose and fell silent.

Hermione looked at the portrait. Her heart was squeezing almost as much as her stomach. What if they all noticed?

A voice in her head suddenly popped up. _What'll they do? Abandon you?_

What was she worrying about? The impatient look on Ginny's face said the exact same thing. The voice suddenly popped up again, with another teenage bit of advice. _Nothing can stop you. You're practically invincible._

"Hermione, please! You're bound to get some fun **someday! **They'll deal with it. They're boys. They bounce right back after you humiliate them anyways." Ginny whined, tugging on her sleeve. Hermione had to laugh, first at her comment, and second at the way she knew why Hermione was nervous. Third, because of the disgruntled puppy eyes she was giving Hermione.

With a nod, Ginny grinned, and bounced to face the Fat Lady, who looked at her through slatted eyes. Ginny said the password with a unique innocence Hermione had only seen Fred pull when he set the apple orchard on fire. When the portrait had finished rolling her eyes, she swung open. Ginny tugged Hermione in with calm, and soothing words. Hermione followed, regretting it when the portrait swung shut, suddenly feeling staged, and spotlighted. Panic was slowly filling her mind, and making her fingers and toes tingle, her hearing falter, and her heartbeat skyrocket. She closed her eyes, and opened them when Ginny stopped stringing her along by the sleeve of her robes.

"Hermione? Ginny, what did you do to her?"

"I didn't do anything to her RONALD! She just happened to want to do something for herself. Amazing that people have that kind of respect for themselves, huh?" Ginny's voice snarled back.

Hermione now had to smile. The teeth that she had spent years fixing, little by little, as not to make her parents pick up on her 'straight-and-pearly' operation, demonstrated their beauty as they appeared between her upturned cupid's bow lips. Harry was smiling. A knowing smile. An approving smile, with a strong friendly warmth.  
Ron was looking at her with an open-mouthed shock. Hermione stopped smiling slightly, and slowly changed it to a 'uh-oh-I'm-not-feeling-too-solid-now' grin. He then laughed.

"Hermione, what was wrong with you? We found you, and we got so freaked…" Harry began suddenly, cutting Ron's laughter down to a 4.5 out of 10 soundscale. Hermione faltered slightly.

"I…you, know. Didn't eat enough at lunch, breakfast, I mean. Breakfast. Yes. I…got up for potions too fast…" Hermione began. Ron cleared his throat.

"Hermione, you were out from when you passed out YESTERDAY after potions, 'til you woke up TODAY." He clarified, saying it slowly as Hermione took this into her computing database.

"I'm inclined to believe that you DIDN'T have enough to eat for the past week." Pitched in Harry. Hermione was steadily getting tired of this. She clenched her jaw. Drew herself up. Instantly, Ron and Harry began to shrink.

That was what made Hermione recoil. She checked the clock. 5:34. The sun was beginning to set, sending warm golden rays to touch the multiple throws of red and gold materials in the room. She felt flustered.

"You know? I'm…going to bed. Yeah. I'm just tired. Okay? I…blacked out. Must have hit my head. Too many potion fumes. I'm alright? Okay? Is all good? I'll see you on the morning." She stuttered.

She got up, and fled up the dormitory stairs without letting her friends speak. She rushed up to the oak door that barred her room.

SLAM.

The door was locked, and Hermione had thrown her shoulder full force into it, hoping to open it as per normality. She now drew back, with a cry of surprise. The door was thrown open, and Lavender, wrapped roman style in a sheet, was staring at her with wide eyes.

"H-Hermione! Oh! I…You see…HEY! You're out of the hospital wing! Are you okay? You really freaked Ron and Harry out." She began, her busybody mouth shifting into 'High'. Hermione smiled. This girl was still talkative and willing to gossip as normal females did, even though Hermione often ripped her to pieces for snoring.

"Lav? I'm really tired. Could you get your bedmate to vacate the premises so I can sleep? I assure you, I'm fine. Happy. Healthy." She said with a weary smile, forcing herself to be calm and neutral. Lavenders eyes swept over Hermione, noticing the changes in her. Her lips opened slightly in an 'O' of shock, before she touched her fingers to her lips in embarrassment.

"Of course. Yeah. Uhm…Dean…I really…Yeah, thanks…Sorry." She said apologetically to Dean, who appeared behind her.

Hermione forced herself to look as if nothing had happened, and to keep smiling bemusedly, rather than to lecture Lavender about the life she had ahead of her and what sex might do to it. Dean exited, shouldering his bag, fully dressed with a shocked smile. Hermione waved and then passed Lavender to get into the room. The door shut, and Lavender leaned against it biting her lip, and squeezing her eyes shut.

"Let it out." Hermione said, used to the fits that her roommates threw when they fell in 'love' with a boy.

"OHMYGOD!OHMYGOD! He's just…Oh gosh! He's so intense and…warm…and…strong, but in a masterful kind of way, and I, oh my god Hermione!" She squealed, jumping up and down, causing the sheet the fall around her feet.

Hermione lifted an eyebrow and gestured towards Lavenders naked body, then towards the pooled sheet. The girl coloured, and snatched it up, tying it once more, around her shoulders.

Hermione finally threw a mannerism into the wind. She snickered.

Lavender stared. Her mouth fell open, and she looked at Hermione with her dark brown eyes. Hermione shocked her even more, by throwing her hair back, fluffing it, and planting her hand on an out thrust hip.

"Hermione?" she asked, quietly, stepping closer to look at her roomie's state of dress,

"Yes? Can I help you, dahling?" Hermione said, not intending it to come out as easily as it did. Lavender gaped.

"What's happening to you? " she whispered.

Hermione was floored. Was she…that…different? Did, snickering, or smirking really make her different from everybody else? Why was it that everybody was noticing these small little things? She wouldn't notice if Lavender made changes in her wardrobe. Hermione examined the cobblestone floor.

"I dunno Lav. Really. I'm sorta…sick of being myself. I love me, but I…I'm not quite sure why I am me for the me I am, if you understand that." Hermione explained, struggling to convey her feelings to the other female.

Lavender smiled.

"Welcome to the real world. I'm your guide, Lavender Brown, and I'll be specializing in normal things such as painting your nails, doing your hair, and proper underwear." She said, impersonating a Barbie-like tour-guide without knowing it.

Hermione laughed.

"What is wrong with my underwear?" she asked, amazement creeping into her voice. Lavender held up a pair, waving them and shrieking.

"Okay. Banshee. I get it." Hermione said irritably, while the other girl hopped around screeching. Lavender laughed, falling onto the bed, and placing a hand over her heaving stomach.

Hermione bid her friend a goodnight, before sliding into her pajamas. There was no way in a pink, lacy hell that she would change her pajamas. She loved them. All cottony and warm. Hermione burshed her teeth, and washed her face, while carefully examining all the data she had collected in the past few hours.

Dumbledore's quip, Harry and Ron, her reaction the things, and how Lavender had volunteered.

Why hadn't they pressed the matter of the fainting act? They talked about everything else? What about her well being?

_They're afraid of you. _

_**No. **_

_Yes. They're more concerned with how you change. They're noticing._

_**That's bad! Oh no, I can't have that…I…**_

_Stop. It's fine. You'll be fine. _

_**I'm not 'changing'. I'm making myself more comfortable with me. I'm sick. What Malfoy said hit really close to home. And then seeing how I act…I never thought I was like that!**_

_Fine. Suit yourself. You're in some form of pleasing denial._

_**I don't know what I'm doing!**_

_Poppycock. You know exactly what you're doing. _

_**Belt up. **_

Hermione spat, rinsed, and slunk back into her room, clambering into bed, and pulling the curtains shut. Parvati had come back in that time, and was holed up in her own bed. The room was quiet and warm. Hermione lay thinking deeply, with a frown on her face. This had better not turn into some fiasco where I turn into some easy, spread eagle whore, her mind thought. Once again, the 'I'm-not-changing-anything!-I'm-opening-up-to-the-world' argument exploded in her head. She rolled over with a sigh.

The last word she thought of before she fell asleep was , 'Liar'.

**This is where I officially apologize for being so neglectful! I got grounded, then I got in some trouble, and then I was traveling. It took awhile. A whole 5 weeks! I'm am SO sorry. I won't be surprised if I get less reviews, but I promise I'll update more! **

**I'm in a very messed state right now. **

**Expect the next chappie soon. **

**Or I give y'all permission to snipe me. **

**-Suzanne.**


	7. Something fishy

**Something fishy**. 

When Hermione rolled out of bed that morning, she hit the floor, legs tangled in the hangings.

"Oh…This looks like a WONDERFUL day." She muttered, pushing herself up with an irritable groan.

"Actually, it's quite nice outside, in my opinion. It finished raining a couple hours ago." Lavender's voice said from across the room. Hermione squeaked and looked up to see the other female observing her perform her morning ritual of hefting the hangings and bedclothes onto her mattress. Hermione blew hair out of her eyes when she was done, and slumped against the bed.

"You're a really messy sleeper." Lavender stated.

Hermione made a face.

"I know, thanks for pointing it out."

"Chill out Hermione. Maybe we need to do that send-you-to-the-hospital-wing thing everyday to make you smile." Lavender said, coming over, and pulling her roommate up off the floor.

Hermione scowled, and caught her balance sloppily.

Lavender grinned.

"Before you get the idea into your head that you're going to turn me into a mad genetically mutated clone of yours, I'm taking a shower." Hermione said stoutly, snatching her belongings and plodding into the bathroom.

She took a nice, hot shower, enjoying the way the steam rolled around the room, and the way the water hit her body as she scrubbed her skin.

By the time she shut the water off, and clambered out, hair hanging in soaked curls around her shoulders, she was too late to notice Lavender sitting on the counter waiting with a pointedly smug look on her face.

Hermione screamed, and slipped in the stall, landing on her bum, and crabbing towards the wall clutching a towel to her torso.

"Lavender, are you daft? What in the name of Godric are you DOING?" she cried, her breathing matching her heart rate, which wasn't beating normally.

Lavender shrugged.

"Waiting for YOU, to get your ass out of the shower. You need something other than granny folds."

Hermione snarled at this remark. Lavender was either too confident, or entirely stupid, as she climbed off the counter.

"Granny folds? EXCUSE ME? What, you want me to wear astronomic butt floss or something?" Hermione gasped, shakily pushing herself up the condensation covered wall. Lavender shook her head.

"We don't want to turn into a trollop." Lavender said, matter-of-factly, holding up a pair of lacy bikini underwear and matching bra.

"How do you know it'll fit me?" Hermione asked, uneasily eyeing the underwear with interest, despite her best instincts to scream and bodily remove the opposing female from the room.

Lavender sighed.

"A spell, Hermione dear. Put them on."

Hermione caught the flimsy material in her raisined fingers, and looked at Lavender.

"Not in front of you!" she said shrilly.

"You'll not put them on if I don't see you Hermione. Stop being a prude." Her friend answered diplomatically. Hermione tried her best to not pitch the things at Lavender.

Instead, she dropped the towel, and glared menacingly at Lavender, putting on the designated underparts, not leaving Lavender's gaze out of pure stubborn-ness.

When she was done, she pointed to the door.

"Good." Lavender approved, with a nod, before leaving the bathroom.

Hermione took her time putting on the uniform, and bit her lip when she undid the top two buttons. She then mastered the spell Ginny had used on her hair the day before.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she sighed, before putting her sweater on, instead of tying it around her waist.

It was cold today. That was the lie she was telling herself, and she was sticking to it.

She then left the bathroom, and snatched up her bag.

"Check, check, check…" Hermione muttered, contents of her bag making loud sounds as they slammed and bashed against each other in her hurry to compile a checklist of her things.

"Good."

With that, she loaded some scrolls she had done up for Melissa into her arms, and kicked Parvati's bed.

The girl inside it grunted.

"Get up. You'll be late." Hermione yelled, as she left the dormitory, and let the heavy door slam shut after her.

>> >> >> >> >> 

"Hermione, what class do you have first?" Ron asked, while he was chewing on an orange. Hermione put down the scroll, and tossed her schedule at him.

"Fotions?" he said skeptically, through another couple slices of orange.

Hermione nodded, inking her quill, and drawing a line across the map of the great hall, signaling where a stage was to be moved to.

"Eef ya haf fofons, shudn't ya be muvin dun to da dunguns?"

Hermione put her quill down, laced her fingers and looked at him blankly, refusing to be disgusted by his lack of table manners.

"I have a meeting until lunch, and have been excused from all my morning classes. Therefore; I will need to see your homework tonight, to see what you did in class." She stated, simply, with a hint of robotic nastiness.

He gave her a thumbs up, before snatching a biscuit off a plate by Harry, who was trying to get Ginny to tell him why she was jumpy, and pale.

Hermione observed this, a grin chasing her face as a voice inside her head made a comment.

"What are you grinning about?" Harry asked, now tuning into their side of the breakfast table.

She gestured towards Ron, who was wolfing food down shamelessly.

"Here we see, the average male, consuming the first meal of the day, in it's natural habitat. Note the feral look in it's beady eyes as it surveys it's prey." She said, using a monotone voice that she had gotten used to watching animal shows when she was younger. Ron made a noise that signaled his disapproval of her comment, while Harry laughed himself silly.

"Snot funee." Ron said thickly, narrowing his eyes, making Harry laugh harder.

"Hermione…where did that come from?" Harry gasped, picking up his fork once again. Hermione rolled the scroll, and snapped a band in place to hold it shut, while shrugging.

"I don't know. It seemed like rubbish to say, but it fit the situation quite well."

Ron gave a smirking Harry the middle finger salute.

Hermione stood, and stuck the scrolls awkwardly in her bag, so they were poking out at odd angles.

"I'll see you lot later. Don't give anybody trouble, and Ron, stop eating, you're going to regurgitate it all over Flitwick's classroom in second." Hermione said, issuing the normal warnings and such, while benches and bags slamming and scraping around her showed that her natural signal had gone again, and students were following her cue of prancing off to class.

She then departed at top speed, leaving a slightly awed pair of males behind her.

>> >> >> >> >> 

"And, then, I guess we don't have much of a choice. Due to the number of people caught performing such acts in these broom cupboards, I suggest we lock them at night." Melissa finished.

Hermione picked at the desktop, having given her report and suggestions and scrolls to the room earlier. She now understood while her peers bellyached about these meetings. When she wasn't going over everything in her head due to wanting to appear a model student, she was really quite bored.

She rose her attention when Malfoy stood up. According to the alarming amount of eyebrows arching in the room, she wasn't the only one who had noticed the Ferret King had decided to give his first report.

"I have a report to issue to the collection." He stated, as everyone does when opening.

"Do indulge us." Hermione breathed to herself. No body noticed, and Malfoy continued.

"My people and I have waited for weeks to present this evidence to you." He started, making himself sound like the Slytherins were a collection of pioneers in the far north of Egoland, making a complaint to the Royal family about scouting Ravenclaws coming to inspect the new ferns growing on their richly soiled riverbanks. Hermione suppressed an eye roll.

Melissa nodded.

"We have found numerous things are being stolen. Important things that should not be placed in the hands of some one who does not know how to use them. These artifacts have been either inherited or are hard to find items that have been vouched for by multiple people of mention." He drawled lazily.

Oh no, the Ravenclaws took a sample of the magnificent fern.

"We have also found a cloak. It bears the Gryffindor crest. It was at the last sight of robbery, and so was a cauldron, and odd shaped mirror." He said, putting said items on the table. Hermione sat up, being representative of the Gryffindors, with horror. Who of her house would steal a SLYTHERIN's belongings?

Hermione stood, as she rarely did of her own violation.

"Mr. Malfoy, what kind of artifacts have gone missing?" she asked narrowly. He tightened his jaw.

The idea was to be civil here. The Ravenclaws didn't take the fern. It was those disgusting savages from north of Bravery. Damn them.

"Important things that should not be placed in the hands of some one who does not know how to use them. These artifacts have been either inherited or are hard to find items that have been vouched for by multiple people of mention." He ground out, reciting what he had seconds ago. Hermione nodded.

"If you don't mind my asking, how do you know that the cloak, mirror, and cauldron belong to one Gryffindor?" she asked.

He raised her eyebrows.

"Are you saying the you have a slew of burglars and vandals under your care, Ms. Mudblood?" he asked nastily.

Oh, oh. Those nasty savages travel in packs. Gonna have to use our Greek fire to guard those damn ferns. We Slytherins were here in this here land first. Our beautiful Egoland will never stoop to that dingy area that they live in. Tower dwellers.

Hermione chose to ignore the Mudblood remark.

"I may have used the wrong wording, Majesty. Be pardon. I was asking if you're sure it wasn't a coincidence." She responded slickly, narrowing her eyes as her fumble made her temper heat.

Malfoy was all out fuming now, as they stared each other down. The Majesty comment had bit him in the ass, and she wasn't known to bite that hard without attacking him away from people. This was new.

"They were at the scene of a crime, peasant." He hissed. Hermione tightened her lips.

"To assume, makes an ass out of you, and me." She recited, before walking over, removing the cloak from his care, and circling back to her spot.

The tension in the air started to dissipate as he sat down, a murderous look on his face.

Savages aren't so stupid. Have a scout follow them back to Bravery. Make sure they haven't stolen one of our mushrooms.

Melissa cleared her throat.

"I'm sure you'll keep collecting evidence Mr.Malfoy. Please come up with some concrete materials, and we shall take action. Thank you for your report. Anyone else?" she said, eyeing the room warily, as the heat from the previous report still floated above their heads like an arrogant genie.

No one made a move.

Melissa sighed, out of exasperation, desperation, or relief.

"Fine. I call an end to this, and I will see you all on Friday. We shall discuss the next Hogsmeade trip, and the punishment for throwing chalk at ghosts. Goodbye." She called, and the room stood noisily.

Hermione frowned as she stuffed the cloak in her bag, and buckled it shut. Chairs scraped and people talked as they filtered out of the room.

"What was THAT about, Mudblood?" a voice hissed in her ear. Hermione winced.

Draco Malfoy sat on the desk next to her, a hard anger seeping in his gray eyes. Hermione forced herself to stay calm. She lifted the bag off the desk, and shouldered it with a calm that she could only fake.

"I'm talking to you." He snarled, following her as she joined the crowd escaping the room.

"I'm not talking to you." Hermione responded pointedly, squeezing through students and the door frame, and walking down the hall. Malfoy was in hot pursuit.

"I want you to tell your little Gryffinwhores to keep their paws out of the dungeons." He snapped, grabbing her arm. She stopped and looked at him through her cinnamon eyes.

"Well, I might have a hard time doing that, seeming as they have classes in that little catacomb you people call home." She responded tartly. Malfoy growled.

"You took my potion, saw your errors, and I don't even get a thanks?"

"Well, thank you, Ferretface, I did enjoy seeing my errors in life. Now, if you don't mind, I'm not going to flail, and fall at your feet, and I'm not going to worship the ground you walk on."

He sneered. Classic.

"But, you become this saucy little bint that knows everything? I think I deserve a good snog for helping you make the world a better place by letting go of your granny panties." He drawled, leaning against the wall.

What was with everybody's fascination with what she covered her ass with?

"Well, then. Kiss kiss." Hermione smiled, nastily, before spinning away rigidly, and stalking down the hallway.

"You'll see Granger! You'll see!"

Hermione shook her head. Whatever that meant.

>> >> >> >> >> 

"HERMIONE! We didn't see you at lunch, and you walked into Charms, sat down across the room, shut up for the entire thing, and then disappeared after class, and dinner! What gives?" Ron called, jumping as soon as she dropped her bag on the floor, and sank into a chair by the pile of cards he and Harry were toying with.

"I had a ton of work from Advanced Runes. I had to go to the library, and I had to go and ask a whole legion of teachers this, that and the other thing." Hermione answered truthfully, placing a hand on her forehead and closing her eyes. She was SO tired. This new thing of being easy to talk to was wearing her down. It was just easier to be uptight, right?

"Did you eat?" Asked Harry, as he examined his hand. Harry, the nutrition consultant of her life. Hermione nodded.

"What?" he wanted to know, throwing a 6 of spades down, while Ron leafed through his hand.

Hermione had to think.

"Uhh…Lamb chop sandwich? Dobby popped up and handed it to me. Odd little elf. He made me take it. Literally." She said, not removing her hand from her eyes, and tilting her head back so it hung off the top of the armchair.

She missed the satisfied smile that appeared on his face.

"Tired?" Ron asked, as he plopped his potions work into her lap.

"I don't need it Ron. I went to Snape and got everything. He wasn't too pleasant, but that's normal." She groaned, handing it back to him.

"I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

When she was finished climbing the staircase, Ron checked. Gone.

"Well, I can't say I miss the lectures." He muttered. Harry threw a Queen at him.

"You ought to. Something's up. She didn't just 'pass out', and Pomfrey is mum's the word. She did something, and now she's all weird. I'm going to find out what. She's stopped eating Ron. Haven't you noticed? She didn't eat this morning, didn't show up for lunch, and she only ate that sandwich cause of Dobby. She's forgetting to eat!" Harry said, picking up three cards and sifting them into a fan with the rest.

Ron shrugged.

"Maybe she's on a weight kick?" he suggested, plucking the card Harry was giving to him from his friend's fingers.

"When Hermione does something she goes all out. But she does it right. If she was on a weight stint, she'd be doing something other than not eating, she'd still be lecturing us, still be testy all the time, and she'd have normal hair and a done up shirt!" He stated, as Ron flatly laid out a Jack. Ron smirked.

"Been observing her shirt, have ya, Harry?" he suggested, as Harry glared at him, while placidly topping his Jack with a Queen.

"One word about anything like that Ron, and I'll chop off your head with a dull knife."

Ron sniggered.

King.

Harry sucked his lip, peering at his cards. He picked one out and snapped it down.

Ace.

"Damn. Out. Take a spin." Ron muttered, picking up six cards, and giving his pairs to Harry.

Harry laid out his cards. Ron swore.

"HOW DO YOU DO THAT?"

"Hermione is up to something. I'm going to find out. Keep your eyes peeled for tips. 'Night." Harry said, climbing to his feet, and ignoring Ron's outburst.

Ron was sputtering and flicking through the cards, no doubt looking for cheat.

He made a disgruntled noise when he found none, and threw the whole mess into the fire when Harry had disappeared up the stairs.

Ginny slid in the portrait hole, and stopped on her route to the girl's dormitories.

"Ron, Harry'll freak if you burn another pack of muggle cards to spite him." She said, making her brother jump.

"What were you doing out?" he demanded, discreetly kicking the last card into the flames.

She shrugged, her eyes still on the stairs ascending to her room.

"Walking."  
"Walking where?"

"I went out to meet a forbidden lover, Ron." Ginny answered dramatically.

He colored, and muttered that she needn't be touchy, before mounting the stairs himself.

Ginny had climbed into her bed, and was falling asleep, as the Queen of hearts turned to ash.

**MAH! Love me like you should! I delivered a glorious chapter. It was amusing to write, and I love it. It may be a bit confusing, but read it a couple times if you're confused. Ignore the tribal, invasion, fern part if ya want. It's not important.**

**I want feedback with how well I'm doing incorporating Hermione's character, and sliding into the plot. **

**Thankies! I send my love. **

**-Suzanne**


	8. Twister, anyone?

Hermione bounced lazily down the stairs, an unusually light load of books in her bag, bouncing against her bottom as she jauntily walked down the long corridors to the Great Hall.

Her hair was pulled loosely into a ponytail, and was bobbing and brushing her neck with the pace. The girl was musing to herself, her hands occasionally playing with a buckle on her uniform. Her footsteps echoed with a vast emptiness that the Hogwarts halls had at 7:00 in the morning.

Harry had cornered her on her way out the portrait hole that morning, and made her promise to go and have a good breakfast. She had promised with a slight smile, as the determined look on her friend's face made her wary of what he would do if she told him a banana would be fine.

Best not to go there.

When Hermione had made her morning face-plant onto the floor of her dormitory, she'd found another set of underwear, laid out, with a threatening note pinned to it. They were a deep indigo, and as much as she hated to admit it, were comfortable, and made her feel pretty.

_**Put these on, or Potions will be found a very eventful class for you.**_

Lavender's bold hand, splashed with strong and thick purple, had made Hermione uneasy as to what her little 'under-cover under-mother' had planned to make sure she wore the gotchies. So, she did.

"Hermione! Oh dear…Child! Come here! Hello."

Hermione turned as she passed Helga Hufflepuff's portrait, the subject's voice sounding slightly distressed.

"Uh, hello, can I help you?"

"I'm slightly crooked…" Helga began. Hermione blinked, as a grin tugged at her lips, due to the way the portrait had started it's request.

"You are, are you? That's okay. It's not the end of the world to be a closet portrait." Hermione assured, and ignored the woman in it squawk and sputter at her comment. She reached out and straightened the picture, before grinning innocently, hoping she could match Ginny.

Due to the snarl and flustered back turning, she'd failed. Hermione shrugged slightly.

"You're welcome."

And she was on her way again.

Getting slightly devious, Hermione decided to drop a pencil from the top of a staircase and hear it hit the floor on the bottom. She was part of the little population that carried muggle writing implements, so she didn't think people would mind if she broke it accidentally, as she'd gotten in trouble before for using them in class. She then bounded down the stairs, and bent to pick up the pencil, with had broken lead.

As she scooped up the wood, somebody knocked into her, sending her flat on her ass.

"Ow! Excuse me! I…Ginny?" Hermione gasped.

Ginny Weasley looked over her. She was breathing slightly harder, and she had a canvas bag slung over her shoulder. Her fiery hair was splashed over her shoulder, signaling that she had stopped and spun around quickly.

"Hermione! Sorry! I didn't see you!" The girl exclaimed, extending a hand to help her friend up. Hermione grunted as she accepted the help, and was yanked to her feet.

"Well, gotta go. See you!" Ginny said, with a brilliant smile, and dashed off up the staircase Hermione had pitched a sharp piece of wood down moments before.

Hermione tried to snatch at the billowing robes that dangled off Ginny's arms, but missed, and let out a frustrated snarl when her hand bashed on the hard marble railing. With a suspicious glance up the staircase, and a wary thought about Ginny's manner, and departure, she continued down the hall.

When about 5 minutes had passed, a running Colin nearly flogged her.

"Oi! What in the name of Dumbledore are you doing, **running?**" Hermione snapped, angry about the blatant refusal to follow the rules, how people figured she was slacking and they could run amok and how she had had to flatten herself against a cold wall, hurting her breasts by smashing them against stone, and the fact that she HAD to do so to avoid bodily collision in the first place. Colin froze, but looked longingly down the corridor she had just came from.

"Hermione, nice to see you!" he said, giving her a winning smile.

Hermione thinned her lips.

"You were running!" she hissed, advancing on him threateningly.

"I- had to…go that way…fast" he explained lamely.

"Why?"

"I…"

"You?"

"Look, Ginny saw me, and ran away. I have to catch up to her before she barricades herself up that room of hers!" he explained, looking down the hallway again, desperation catching in. Hermione shook her head.

"She's probably already in there. Colin, you can't run. 5 points from Gryffindor." She said, silently asking forgiveness from Godric for what she was doing. She always asked forgiveness after reducing points.

Colin winced.

"Now. Go. **Slowly**." Hermione pointed, practically blowing smoke out her nose as he slipped past her.

"Say Hi to Harry for me!" he said brightly, before doing something that made Hermione scream in frustration and kick the wall. He ran up the hallway.

Hermione put a chocolate croissant on her plate, right beside her orange juice and eggs, and had a self-satisfied smile on her face as she spooned some of the eggs in her mouth. The book she had in front of her had a gruesome description of what would happen if you added Lemur feet instead of howling monkey, in a breath potion.

Suddenly, the table jumped, as some pale hands slammed down on it.

Hermione sighed. What a way to ruin breakfast.

"Mudblood." His voice growled.

"Yes, Master?" Hermione answered dryly, ripping a piece of croissant off, and dipping it in melted and warm chocolate, before sticking it in her mouth. He plopped himself down on the bench.

Helping himself to her croissant and chocolate, he spoke in a very clipped, cold voice.

"More stuff of my Slytherins have been taken."

"Exciting." She said, plucking her pastry from his fingers, and ripping off her own piece before handing it back to him.

"You need to look around your common room for this shit." He demanded, putting another chunk in.

Hermione considered it, maliciously.

"Malfoy, I don't know what I'm looking for, how to get it back, who to suspect, where to hide it, what they could be doing with it, and why." She answered distastefully, licking her middle finger clean.

He considered this as he chewed.

"And, I don't know WHY I would do a favor for you." She added, getting a dig in as she again took her food back, snagged a bite, and gave it back to him.

The situation was very odd. Hermione Granger, and Draco Malfoy, sharing a chocolate croissant, basically alone in the great hall, talking calmly, though icily. It wasn't one you saw normally.

"Because it's your duty as an authority figure to take action." He answered, dipping pastry.

Hermione chewed thoughtfully.

"True, but it was your duty as a student, not to make fun of me for years on end."

Malfoy snarled.

"Get off your high horse, Granger. Did I ever wallop you? Did I ever curse you?" he asked nastily.

"I never cursed you, Malfoy. You deserved the smack."

"Bull."

"Who pinned me against a wall? Forced me to take a potion?"

"You took that potion yourself! And, it didn't do you any harm!"

"Bull." She shot back.

He sneered, and leaned back.

"Fine. What did it do to you?"

"Wrecked my self esteem? Ruined my vision of who I was?"

"What a tragedy!" he mocked, plastering a hand to his forehead.

Hermione kicked his shin under the table.

He swore, and kicked her back.

She leaned in, now studying him through narrowed eyes.

"What do you want from me, Malfoy?" she asked, business like.

He rolled his eyes.

"Finally! Progress! Bless the gods." He cried, looking upwards with a nasty grin.

Hermione slammed her palms on the table.

"GET ON WITH IT!" she shrieked.

"Fine! Don't get your…"

She let out a frustrated growl. He stopped mid-quote, and surveyed her.

"I want you to assist me, muddy." He answered.

"You want ME to help YOU?"

"Shut up, or I walk away."

"What a threat. Please. Do follow through."

"What fed you wits?"

"What poisoned you with a intelligent thought?"

"GRANGER!"

"Drakie-poo?"

He glowered at her. She smiled bemusedly. This was fun!

"Help me. I'll give you information on what's missing, you help me look?"

"Give me information on what's missing, and I'll see what I can do."

He watched her with a stoic face. She sipped her orange juice.

"Fine. Don't expect special treatment."

"The thought didn't flit across my mind." Honestly, it hadn't.

He pushed himself up. She bent back over her book.

"Good. The croissant was good, bitch."

She shrugged.

"I didn't make it."

He didn't move, she didn't look up. Finally, he walked away. Hermione stewed over what had just happened. As sharp, and vicious as that was, it was extremely odd. With a shrug, she continued on with her breakfast.

"I want six feet. That's not much mister Weasley, so don't groan." Flitwick said, dictating with his tiny little arms, as chalk scraped and scratched at the blackboard. Hermione took notes, and ignored Ron slamming his head onto the cover of his textbook.

"We have a total of 21 feet of writing to do tonight!" Ron hissed to Harry, who was on her other side. Harry wrote the homework down, before answering Ron.

"I know. Not much you can do about it, though. How much homework do you have Hermione?"

"This." she said, causing both boys to pelt her with questions.

"What?"

"WHY?"

"You have more classes than us!"

"You're in HARDER classes than us!"

Hermione shook her head, as the bell rang, signaling the end of class. She checked her watch. 3:01.

Time to make her library voyage.

She scooped the mess on her desk into her bag, and tied it shut, half hazardly.

"I won't be at dinner, guys. I'll see you later. 'Kay?" she said, shouldering the bag, and making a scramble for the door.

"HERMIONE! YOU NEED TO EAT!" Harry roared after her.

She waved over her shoulder, before disappearing into the moving crowd.

Hermione's eyes were heavy, as she leafed through her 65th book. She checked her watch. 11:58.

Oh, shit, she was real late. The problem was, she couldn't bring herself to go up to bed.

She froze as she heard a slight sob, and the unmistakable crackle of a small fire.

Getting up, she quietly padded closer. It was coming from the restricted section of the library.

Hermione removed her shoes, and left them at the rope. Her stocking feet were silent in the thick, and paper dry darkness of the ancient library. Hermione's heart pounded inside her chest.

Student?

Teacher?

What could possibly be worse?

She'd been awake, thinking about Malfoy and his precious items, fingering through books in hopes that something would jump out at her. Nothing had. There was the odd thing that had jumped out at her.

But, those were unmentionable, and had made a randy sort of giggle come bursting from her mouth.

Those naughty, naughty Slytherins.

Hermione crept forwards, pressing her back into the hard edges of the bookshelves, and inching along sideways, holding her breath.

A small flickering light was winking at her from the around the corner of her bookshelf protector.

Setting her jaw, Hermione stood straight. Sucking a breath of air, she stealthily stepped out from behind the shelf.

A student.

Hermione gasped, and the student yelled, throwing themselves over their workspace.

"Oh my god! What are you **doing**? _How could you_?"

**Sorry. Movin' around and such. As for the card game, it started out as poker, turned into go-fish, and ended with war. Don't ask, I wasn't willing to actually keep track of a game while writing. I know, I'm lazy. Do me a big favor and REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!**

**Luff!**


	9. Who stole the cookie?

**Who stole the cookie?**

"GINNY!" Hermione squealed.

The red head looked up at her, face pale, and afraid. Her dark eyes searched the dark behind the girl frantically, praying she didn't bring the hounds with her. Nope, no Harry and Ron.

"Hermione…" she began, but Hermione stopped her.

The area was a mess. It was cozily nooked between two large and looming shelves. A torch lit the corner, swelling as a small bubble of light. A petite cauldron hovered over a small, magical fire, and books were strewn everywhere, pages, ink, and quills poking out over numerous pages.

Ginny snatched up a leather bag, and stuffed a weathered journal of the same skin into it, while unobtrusively sweeping stuff behind her into the bag.

Hermione threw her hair over her shoulder.

"Would you mind explaining what this is about?"

Ginny stiffened.

Hermione tapped her foot.

"Oh, stop it Hermione, you don't intimidate me." The younger female finally snapped, slamming down her bag and wiping at her tear streaked face.

Hermione arched an eyebrow.

Ginny stood and paced the small study-circle, biting her lip, and shooting Hermione suspicious, but murderous glares.

"I'm waiting!" Hermione said, surprising herself at the way she talked. Well, she figured if Ginny was going to be a nasty kelpie, why couldn't she? Ginny stopped, and openly glared.

"FINE! I'll tell you everything! And then, you'll be absolutely horrified, and you'll run, and you'll tell HERO HARRY and RAGEING RONALD, all about it, and the Helping Hermione won't ever have to worry about the Jumpy Ginny, because SHE'LL BE DEAD!" she began, starting in on a rant that bordered a hysterical sob.

Hermione was lost. Apparently the look on her face said, so.

"You don't understand, do you? Of course you don't! You're only just growing some spine…" Ginny muttered, the last couple words melting into the darkness.

"What's that?" Hermione growled.

"I said YOU'RE JUST GROWING SPINE!"

They sized each other up, Ginny considering Hermione's knowledge, and Hermione taking into account Ginny's upbringing.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione tried to sound logical.

"Gin. We're friends. Why've…what's…Look! I'm not the same! Anybody can see that! Malfoy screwed me up or something…So…Uh…" Hermione said, throwing her hands up above her head in frustration.

"You think I can tell you?" Ginny asked flatly, the look on her face betraying the outright doubt.

Hermione let her arms slap her thighs.

"Yes."

Ginny snorted, resuming picking up books.

"Never mind."

"Ginny, tell me."

"NO."

Her harsh, but firm word echoed with a booming sound in the cavernous library. The redhead was rigid, and had her own palms flattened against a book, having slammed it down. Hermione took a step back.

"Gin?"

"I don't have to tell you anything Hermione. Just forget it. You wouldn't be able to wrap your head around it. You'll never understand, and don't think you will. You won't. Suck it up, buttercup." Ginny cut her off swiftly, severing her words, and making Hermione shiver with the angry glare she was giving her.

Hermione shrugged, finally giving in. Obviously, this wasn't going to get her anywhere.

"Okay. Ya see? Oh-kay. I'm giving up. I won't talk about it, if you won't. See? Now that we're at a mutual agreement, I gotta go. Seeming as I can't do anything. See you Ginny." Hermione said dryly, backing up, and scooping the loose black robe back onto her shoulder, before turning around, and scuffing her feet as she receded back into the darkness, and approached her table.

Ginny sighed, and looked at the empty space where Hermione was.

This was gonna escalate. She could feel it.

Hermione crept down the moonlit corridor. Her ears were pricked for any sound, and her eyes were scanning frantically for any movement.

Nothing so far.

Taking a deep breath, she quickly flit to an alcove, and peered around the corner, her heart in her throat. The last thing she needed was Snape or someone to show up. She pat inside her robes, and found her wand, running her nervous fingers over the smooth wood. She bit her lip, staring hopelessly into the blank black of the end of the windowless corridor up by the portrait. Ginny hadn't passed, and she was forcing herself not to think about her. Screw Ginny and her bitchy-ness.

Hermione surprised herself by thinking that.

'Dear God, I'm turning into Lavender!' she scolded herself, narrowing her eyes, looking harder, and STILL not seeing anything.

Suddenly, two arms wrapped around her upper arms, pinning them in place. A sharp pinch made her gasp and drop her wand, which clattered to the stone floor with a loud wooden sound. A hand covered her mouth before she could scream.

Hermione struggled, letting all her weight fall and making her legs not support it and throwing her head viciously back into her attacker's face. They both fell, sliding down the wall, Hermione ending up struggling on her back, while they held her on top of the fruitlessly, probably dazed from the back of her skull connecting with their face. Hermione bit down on their hand, causing a deep curse, before she whipped around onto her knees.

It was a male, she could tell from his arms, and she could see his knees splayed out pointing down opposite ways of the hall, with her balanced vicariously on her hip to face his shadowed face. He had a bruising grip on her arm, which was making tears appear in her eyes.

"Let me go!" she snarled shrilly, twisting, and letting a cry of pain escape when he pressed harder on her arm, and a white stab of pain shot from her twisted elbow.

With a growl, she brought her free elbow down between his legs.

A howl of complete pain filled the corridor, and he recoiled into a fetal position letting her arm go, which she drew to her breast, massaging it.

He let out a groan of pain, after the echoed died.

Hermione snatched up her wand, and lit it, pointing it at him.

Malfoy's pain scrunched face swam in her blue lit vision.

"Malfoy? What the hell, you little creep!"

"Urgh… Granger…What the hell…"

They were both breathing frantically, Malfoy's a little more labored then hers, his hands tenderly drawn between his legs, which were drawn up, obscuring her vision.

"Oh, god, I'm so sorry!"

He brushed her prying hands away.

"What're you gonna do, kiss it better?" he spat, glaring at her. Hermione sat on her heels.

"In your dreams! Fine! WHO grabbed me? Who TOTALLY deserved that!"

"The sonofabitch you think was gonna rape you! I thought you were the student I'd followed!"

"Well, GUESSWHAT! I'm NOT!" Hermione snarled, smacking his shin.

"WOW! You'd think I hadn't thought of that!"

"Shut your face serpentine, you got nothing to bitch about."

"I just had my nuts crushed by a mudblood's elbow." He gasped, indicating.

She raised her fist. He glared icily at her.

"I'll do it again if you call me that."

"Mudblood? What's the matter, Mudblood? Does the Mudblood get offended when I call it Mudblood, Mudblood?"

Hermione hauled off and punched him right below where'd she'd gotten him before.

He screamed.

"Salazar and Merlin drinking Scotch!"

Hermione has to smile at this.

When he was done cursing, he gasped and glared at her.

"You, my darling, are a first class bitch."

Hermione angled her jaw, and jutted it at him haughtily.

"Yes. And I was before I took that potion too." She said, nudging his foot with hers.

He snorted.

"It's all that damn potion's fault. 'Cause it MADE you." He said scathingly.

Hermione remained silent.

He grunted as he pushed himself up the wall. Hermione followed him up, picking up her bag, and holstering her wand at her hip. He paused, wincing, and moving his legs gingerly, as if testing the sensitivity of the organs between his legs. Hermione smothered a snicker. Draco Malfoy, wincing, and moving like he had just been forced a suppository, it was just too good to give up.

He glared at her in front of the window anyhow.

She gasped as she saw a dark bruise forming on one of his aristocratic cheeks, marring the perfect skin. It did, however, give him an alluring sexually appealing leg-up, which made her want to hit him again, just to cross it out. She looked like hell when her face got cut up, how come it just made him play even more of a bad boy? Not allowed.

"What?"

"I…your bruise…" she started, fumbling for her wand. He watched her warily.

"What are you going to do?" he asked, eyeing her drawn wand.

"Fix it."  
"How touching."

"Not really." She answered, reaching out and brushing his cheek with her fingertips. It was warm, and smooth. It took all her self-control to not blush like a love-struck schoolgirl.

Malfoy.

_Malfoy._

**Malfoy.**

So, she ignored the small tingle of electricity that was racing up her skin and invading her spine.

"_Malheure…"_ she whispered, and a calming beam of soft white light touched his skin. It was really quite cool to see this spell in action. The bruise receding as if it weren't there, like rewinding a film of ink staining paper, under skin. The dark recoiling, and moving towards it's middle underneath his pale cheek.

"I can't believe I'm letting _you _heal me." He muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets and scowling.

Hermione made a noise of disgust.

They both said the name of each other's house with exasperated disgust at the same time.

They looked at each other. He peered nastily.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm not your long-lost soul mate. Go moon over Weasel." He said, as she returned to finishing the spell.

Hermione chose to ignore this comment.

"So, what pissed in your tea?" she asked, after a thick set of silence had settled over them.

"Granger, you need your head examined, using expressions like that." He answered her dryly.

"How's your little thief doing?"

"They stole a load tonight. Which is why I'm out. I'm not out gazing at the stars, charting their movements, and writing our loving horoscope together, if that's what popped into your head." He replied quickly. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Malfoy, to be honest, I was hoping you'd gone to hang yourself off the owlry rafters but that's asking too much isn't it?"

"What was it again? Who pissed in your tea?" he shot back, while she now checked to see she'd gotten all the bruise. She had.

"What did they take?" she asked absently, testing the cheek for faults, which he ignored.

"Our stuff. Some muggle stuff we use for fun."

Hermione stopped and ogled at him.

"Muggle stuff? What kind of muggle stuff? Handcuffs?" she asked, the last word barely whispered.

"No, not handcuffs, idiot. They call it…Me-train? Me-plane? Met…aine…" he worked on it, going through all of it. It clicked in Hermione's head.

She pushed away from him with a hiss.

"You guys are using that stuff?"

"Yeah, the diamond stuff…"

"Crystal. Crystal Methane. Malfoy, that shit can kill you."

"Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stonger." He recited, and she made a face.

"One of Daddy's life-long lessons, no doubt?"

He slapped his knee.

"Good one Granger, you winded me." He said sarcastically. She propped her hands on her hips.

"Your cheek will be tender for about two weeks. Try not to bash it about more. Don't' go grabbing random people."

"'Cause I could totally see you in the pitch dark." Malfoy countered in low-key.

"Don't be belligerent. So, you know who it was? Where'd they go?"

He looked at her for a moment.

"Into the library. That's why when I saw you come out, I thought they were coming out." He said.

Hermione's lips fell open. Unless there were more than two teenage girls in that library tonight, which made her cold all over, she knew the other person. Malfoy's thief.

"Ginny. Oh no." she whispered.

Malfoy waved a hand in front of her face.

"Hello? Who? Did you see them?" he asked, standing in front of her looking angry. Hermione blinked, then required her frozen mind to work fast.

"Uh, no. I don't. Didn't. I didn't." she stuttered, taking a step back, and biting her dry lips.

"Yes, you did." He said following her, his eyes glowing. Hermione thinned her lips.

"Get away. Do you value your jewels, or are you just glutton for squishing?"

"Tell me! Now!" He snarled, grabbing her shoulders.

Hermione panicked, his sudden animalistic rage scaring her deeper than she let on.

"Malfoy! Get off! Let me go! I'll scream this place down!" she cried shrilly, twisting as his fingers dug into her blades. He shook her.

"Tell me! This stuff! We need it!"

"You're addicted! Let go! You're a bunch of druggies! Argh!" she squealed, kicking at his shins with her Mary Janes.

"Selfish bitch!" he snarled, slamming her into the opposite wall.

Hermione cried out in pain, the force causing a firework of pain to erupt at the back of her head, and the wall to cut into her flesh.

"Malfoy! Stop it!" she said weakly, scratching at him, her feet now dangling off the ground.

"You know! You're doing this because you hate us, you filthy bitch!" he breathed, pressing his weight onto her.

Hermione stretched her head towards the ceiling, her voice making an involuntary noise of pain as air left her lungs.

"I'll kill you."

Her head spun, as she heard these words. She's imagined them. She had to. He wouldn't kill her. He'd been fine three seconds ago! Would he?

"Please, stop. Please, Malfoy…" she sobbed, her tears hitting his twisted face as he looked up at her in fury.

He leaned closer.

Closer.

He opened his mouth to growl something at her, when she brought her forehead smashing into his with all the strength she had.

He dropped her as she stumbled back, clutching his forehead.

Hermione forced her jelly legs to move, and she snagged her bag, and fled down the midnight corridor.

Gasping, everything hurting, she fell in front of the portrait, clinging to the ornate gold frame.

"Plumrose. Plumrose! Plumrose! PLUMROSE! PEASE!" she sobbed, pushing herself up, and fearfully battering at the portrait, which snorted awake.

"S'it? Hello? Dear? What's wrong?"

"Let me in…let me in…Plumrose! Please!" Hermione rasped in hysterics, hearing Malfoy stumbling blindly down the corridor in rage.

The door clicked open, and Hermione scrambled in, slamming it shut behind her, and falling into the empty common room. The merry fire shifted in welcome, the logs causing an eruption of innocent sparks to dart up the chimney. Hermione scrambled up, her breathing so fast a high whine was blending in with it.

She hurtled herself up the staircase to her dorm, and quietly fled to her bed. She pulled the curtains around her and casting a silencing charm.

She promptly broke down, sobbing into her pillow.

Malfoy has scared her. A lot. He was going to kill her then, she was sure of it. And instead of seizing up, like books had described it when the main character dies, she was overcome with a surge of the right to live, and the right to fight him to his death for her life.

She'd gotten too close to him there, during their conversation. Too close. She'd healed him. Entirely too close. He was bipolar, or crazy, or addicted or SOMETHING. Nobody acts like that.

All because of Ginny.

Well, now she couldn't not pretend that she hadn't met Ginny in the library. She'd seen her. And she knew why she was in there. And why she was skittish. Ginny had known Malfoy was following her.

All because of Ginny.

Guess it was those invaders from Bravery.

**I'm so sorry! I've been overworked! I'll update more soon. I'm begging forgiveness. I love you all sooo much, and I thank you SOOOO much for all the reviews. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Keep it up!**

**-Suzanne**


	10. The sacred heart

The sacred heart 

**Oh boy, you guys are in for a treat. Thank you so much for the prompt responses. ! **

Hermione awoke with a sudden start, just as the blond haired assailant in her dreams had fastened his vile grip on her throat.

Sitting up, she stared groggily at the sun glowing draperies of her four-poster, before smacking a hand to her forehead and smashing herself back down on the pillows.

Then, the word popped into her head that made her sit up, and rip the curtains back.

_Ginny._

Rolling out of bed, and snatching up the undergarments left by dear Lavender, she strolled into the bathroom and had a scrubbed shower. She arrived back in the room, sloppily put together, all buttons done up, and toweling her hair. She said the spell, now aware that she was alarmingly dependant on it, and threw assorted books in her bag.

With a grim look on her face, she threw open her door, and balanced on one foot with bag, sweater and robes in her one arm, a spare quill clamped in her mouth, using her other arm to shove her right shoe on her foot. She then let the heavy oak swing shut behind her as she practically fell down the stairs.

Stumbling into the common room, she dumped her stuff on the couch beside Ron, and cleaned up her uniform, ignoring buttons being all done up.

Ginny had taught her that. Urgh.

"Uhh…Morning, princess?"

Blowing hair out of her eyes, she glanced at him with a brief "Morning, Ronald."

"Hermione, did you eat yesterday?" Harry asked, closing his potions book and rolling up hastily what looked like last nights homework.

"I think so." She answered indifferently, checking her magical watch and stuffing the spare quill in one of the pockets on the side of her bag.

Harry looked like he would shout.

"I mean…I did! You know me, Harry. I'm a total pig!" she laughed breathlessly, stuffing her sweater in the bag, and latching it up, before swinging her robes onto her shoulders.

He crossed his arms.

"Where might you be going?"

"Breakfast." She said winningly, with a false smile of extreme sun. He cocked an eyebrow. She hated when he did that. It meant he wasn't buying her "I-need-to-escape' lies.

"Honestly." He said. Hermione glanced at the portrait hole, and he moved into her view, so all she could see was pissed off hero in her vision. He stared her down from behind his horn-rimmed glasses.

"I swear! I'm going to go eat with Ginny!" she said desperately, shouldering her bag.

Ron cleared his throat.

"That might be a bad idea. She's in a foul mood, storming in here this morning, ranted at me and then threatened to kill some one, and slammed the fat lady on her way out." He said, sounding slightly afraid of his sister's temper.

Hermione shrugged, and side-stepped Harry.

"I promise I'll eat…I ate…a…croissant…Yesterday? Yes, yesterday." She said nervously.

Harry followed her with his eyes on the way out.

"Why are both she and Ginny acting like cat's walking on nails?" he asked Ron, who shrugged from the couch behind him.

"Gin's always been like that. She's dead clumsy when she's afraid. You shoulda seen her when she went with Fred and George to experiment on Mum's chickens! She broke the whole china cabinet and everything in it!" he said, laughing at the memory.

"Let's follow her Ron." Harry decided, scooping stuff into his bag.

Ron got up clumsily, and left his bag at the foot of the stairs.

"Why?"

"Because I don't like how she's hiding."

"She's hiding?" Ron asked, wrinkling his brow and following Harry.

"Ginny Weasley." Hermione growled, slamming her bag down on the table and sitting on the bench behind it, glaring at the redhead over the top as she moved it beside her.

Ginny merely looked at her pointedly.

"Yes?"

"You stole the Slytherin's drugs. IT'S DRUGS! FROM SLYTHERIN!" she hissed, leaning close and ignoring the people three feet away and talking. Ginny stared at her, colour swiftly draining from her cheeks.

"I don't know what you're rambling about. Go back to bed, you might have caught something." She answered reluctantly, bowing her head and shoveling eggs into her mouth.

Hermione snatched her plate away, stood up and put it between two Ravenclaws on the table behind them. She then returned to a stony faced female.

"Why? I just want to know WHY." She whispered desperately over the table.

"I can't tell you why!" Ginny cried back, colour now returning in the shade of crying red.

"Yes you can!" Hermione said desperately, pulling an apple free of the fruit bowl and biting into it.

Ginny sat, burying her face in her hands and stared at the tabletop whilst Hermione chewed. She finally sighed.

"No, you're wrong. I can't." she whispered, shaking her head sadly. Hermione swallowed and put the apple down, leaning in close, steeping her fingers.

"You can get help! By yourself!" she said kindly. Ginny snorted.

"Now I get it. You think I'm some sort of a thuggie…"

"Druggie." Hermione corrected automatically.

"Whatever! Well, listen here Hermione, I'm not! Okay? I don't do that stuff! I don't even know what THEY do with it, let alone doing it myself! If I want some sort of a hallucination thing, I'd get my brothers to cook something up! They're messed enough to do it! I just need that stuff so I can complete a potion! A potion I need, and if anybody found out, ANYBODY, I could get killed. No one wants to save me, because I built the coffin, I nailed the nails, I've dug the grave. I'm in the process of hiring the guy to bury me, and I'm preparing to climb in! You can't jump in here and be the golden girl! IF you were to help me, then you'd wind up having to hurt people, betray people, be secretive, and totally undergo a thorough mutilation of everything you are as human! You'd have to change, you'd have to bow, you'd have to cry silently, and only when no one's around. You can't know what I'm doing, because I've already told you enough to kill myself. So, I'm shutting up." She ranted, a single tear escaping and running down her face. She swiped Hermione's apple, and sat back, looking determinedly sane as she watched Hermione absorb this whispered scream.

Hermione was silent.

"Gin." She said quietly.

"What?" came the choked reply.

"I will help you. No matter what. I'll help you because you're too important to lose. I don't care. I'll follow you wherever you go and I mean it. I'm not joking. Harry and Ron will be kept in the dark. But, you can't do this alone." Hermione pledged, looking solemn and determined.

Ginny stared, mouth slightly open, and another tear running.

She finally nodded, holding back a sob of gratefulness.

"You promise?"

"I give you my word. I swear."

"No you don't."

Hermione stared at her.

"What?"

"You don't swear."

Hermione caught the joke, and laughed.

"I'll meet you in the library tonight. Deal?"

Hermione's mind flew to Malfoy. Bad idea. He'd be lurking, looking for answers and his homicidal mania was enough to pick both her and Ginny off.

"No. Meet in the room of requirement. I'll tell you everything I know that you've overlooked. 7 o'clock. Bye. I've got class." She said lowly, walking away with her bag.

Harry and Ron watched the brown haired girl walk away, and slip out of the doors. Ron was opened mouthed, revealing his porridge to everyone. Harry was frowning.

"Shee got 'Inny 'ad! 'Ook at dat! Dey were so engwossed in wat dey were tal'kin' 'bout!" he said thickly.

Harry bit his lip, as Ron chewed and swallowed.

"I think they're doing something not allowed together, Harry. Ginny would be able to persuade Hermione to do something like that, and I totally think Hermione's fed up with herself after the fainting thing that she won't talk about. She'd do something drastic. And she and Gin are real close. What do you think…? You don't think she's helping Ginny get a boyfriend do you?" he said, clueing two's and growing red with rage.

Harry shook his head.

"Hermione doesn't do that. She points and prods, she doesn't accompany, unless it's us. It's something more than that." He said carefully, now noticing something.

"Well. Whatever it is, she's in trouble, isn't she? Harry? What's wrong?" Ron asked, stopping loading toast onto his plate at the murderous look on Harry's face.

"Yeah, she's in trouble. She didn't eat anything!" he snarled.

Ron had to smirk as Harry speared his sausages ruthlessly.

"Ms. Granger? I'd like you to work with Mr. Malfoy, please." Professor Vector said, waving a great arm at the male, who twisted his face in an ugly snarl.

Hermione went white.

"P-Please, Professor Vector, can I work with…Hannah? Please?"

"No, I'm afraid I've already worked you two together." He answered, pointing to Malfoy again. Hannah cast her a sympathetic glance as she robotically loaded her books into her arms.

She shuffled over to Malfoy, and perched on the far end of the bench.

"What's wrong Mudblood? Afraid of me? Scared of my scared FACE?" he said, showing her the bruise where she'd hit him again last night. She looked away, and purposely opened her book, copying notes down on their assignment.

"Did I scare you last night, Muddy?"

She couldn't control it.

"You nearly KILLED me!" she hissed, not making a difference in copying notes. He smirked.

"Shame. I meant to. You stole our stuff."

She looked at him.

"I did NOT!"

"You know who did!"

"That's completely irrelevant! It's a totally different concept being the thief and knowing the thief!" she gaped, abandoning her composure and facing him with an angry face.

"You're still a thief, and you shall be treated as one." He said, noting the time, dating his notes and closing his book.

"What's that? Am I now sentenced to the Guillotine? Death by shunning? Slyther-ghasts? Death by hate notes? 'Cause I know who stole your drugs? Who stole your MUGGLE drugs?" she snarled, unintentionally doing the same as him while the rest of the class packed one minute to the bell.

He sneered.

"You can't pull that card, muggle." He said. She tossed her hair as she stuffed her notebook away.

"Go to hell Malfoy. I know who did it, and you're not getting them back. Guess I'm doing you favor huh? Daddy wouldn't want to find out about your little _habit._" She said acidly, holding her bag to her chest.

He glared menacingly. Opened his mouth to argue back…

"Problem, partners?" a cheery professor Vector interrupted.

"No, sir." Hermione answered automatically, before turning on her heel and leaving the classroom without a backwards glance.

Different forms of anguish from multiple people. She knew them, knew the reasons, but she didn't know what was causing it. She would find out. If it destroyed her.

Yeah, the meth slip was unintentional. I didn't mean to confuse y'all, thanks for the reminder. 

**Yes, due to a lot of questions, this IS a Hermione/Malfoy ship, but it's very unsteady and rocks a lot. It'll get better later on, but they had to climb onto the pedestal before they can stand in the spotlight. **

**Thanks a ton. **

**-Suzanne**


	11. Pitfalls and avalanches

**To all of y'all: I had exam week, and I've been getting back into school. I'm sorry for the delay. Due to it, I am giving you an extra long chapter.**

**I love ya.**

"_You disgust me. You're worthless. You're ugly. And you think you're better than every one. You fit the bill of your average bookworm virgin. Know-it-all, Granger. Mudblood princess of the lion's den. The only woman in the boy-who-is-too-important-to-die's life. The yield sign. The bird. The background noise."_

Hermione stared at the sheet of paper in front of her, willing her eyes to stop prickling. She couldn't exactly explain WHY Malfoy's long ago uttered words stung her so much at this very instant. She forced her head to look back up at the front of the classroom.

"Does anyone understand this?" McGonagall sighed, looking tersely at the class, which was sleepily and mindlessly copying the notes that she'd charmed to be scrawled across the board.

Hermione thought hard, concentrating, ignoring the harsh whisper of Malfoy receding slowly into the depths of her mind.

Transfiguration…Invertebrate…Mistake…

"Oh!" She said quietly, nudging Harry awake accidentally as her hand shot for the ceiling.

"Ms. Granger?"

"Uh…The most common mistake that invertebrate transfigurators make, is remembering the body stance that the creature had before the change. It would be impossible for a lion to turn into a fish mid-leap, because a fish can't get that form. Therefore; most African witches and wizards under lion, or tiger attack forget that they cannot turn their opponent into a fish, or harmless rabbit." She recited, not fully understanding what she was saying at that point in time, but not having the energy to find out.

The professor awarded her the house points, and set about talking again.

Hermione tapped her foot on the stone floor of the classroom, chewing her lip and staring up at the clock.

4 minutes until they were finished for the day, then she would have to go and finish homework. Charms, Arithmacy, Ancient Runes, Herbology, Potions, and Transfiguration needed definite attending to.

"Ms. Granger, is there somewhere you need to be, other than on this planet, in my classroom, learning things you will need for life?"

Jolted, the student stared dumbly at the elderly woman standing over her.

"Ms. Granger?"

Hermione drew a blank.

_Tick, Tick, Tick…_

"Ms. Granger! I require an answer."

Faces were turning to look now, curious, and amazed.

The clock on the wall banged with loud, thunderous seconds.

_Tick, Tick, Tick…_

"Ms. Granger? What is the meaning of…"

"I need to find Draco Malfoy." Hermione said suddenly. The silence in the classroom was deafening.

"Whatever for? You are supposed to wait until after my class for your social interactions, two points from Gryffin- Ms. Granger where are you going?"

Hermione had packed and swung her bag up, and was walking down the class towards the doors. She was dead-set on finding Malfoy, and stopped in front of Blaise Zabini. Not many Slytherins had made it into the advanced Transfiguration class, and Malfoy had chosen another class over this one.

"What class does he have?" she said, addressing Zabini.

He looked at her calmly, as if calculating what was in it for him. He was a quiet person, answering when asked, and obviously had brains. He was sought after for his olive skin, and deep blue eyes. His muscled body, and curly hair.

"What's in it for me?" he asked.

Bugger. She'd been right.

How very Slytherin.

Hermione had to stop and think, spontaneously. Her heart was pounding, waiting for the professor to get over her shock and start yelling.

"You'll find out. Come with me."

He stared at her, his blue eyes questioning.

"He's got Herbology. I'm not going with you." Blaise said tonelessly, looking back down.

Hermione had to question WHY she felt the unexplainable urge to run off and find Malfoy at this point in time.

The point was, she'd just realized WHY he'd given her that potion. Why he'd wanted her to look at herself.

She was gonna tear a strip off his high and mightily rubbed ass.

"Ms. Granger!"

Slam.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

"YOU! Malfoy!" Hermione hollered, catching up with him. He turned to face her face livid.

For a brief second, she got caught. Stuck in the swirling storm with crackling electricity that was his eyes.

She shook her head.

"You foul, evil, digusting, vile little cockroach!" she hissed, prodding his broad chest with her pointer finger to emphasize her words.

He stared, his anger diminishing in shock.

"I figured it out! You baiting, crouching, decrepit animal!"

"What the HELL are you talking about, Mudblood! Quit touching me!" He hissed, slapping her hand away.

"The potion! Why did you do that to me?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"DO WHAT?" he cried.

"You know what!"

"I DON'T! If I knew WHAT the HELL you were HOWLING about, I'd be SMIRKING instead of YELLING BACK!"

Hermione stood back and glared at him.

"You wanted to knock me down!"

He rolled his eyes.

"Oh my merlin! You caught me Granger! My diabolical plan! Ruined!" he said dramatically, crouching beside an empty spot on the ground, and rocking back and forth, shaking his hands in despair at something that wasn't there. He straightened and cocked an eyebrow.

"Moron." Hermione seethed.

"Gullible female."

"So, it was your plan?" she asked victoriously.

"No."

Hermione ground her teeth as Malfoy stood there looking immensely proud of himself. He tapped his chin, raising his silver eyes to the ceiling to try and look thoughtful.

"Actually, I did it…Come to think of it, I don't know why I did it." He said outloud, looking surprised as he revealed that tidbit to himself.

"Kicks?" Hermione asked sweetly.

"If I wanted kicks I would have vanished your clothes in the middle of a class."

She looked mortified. He smirked sadistically.

"You're sick."

"I prefer twisted."

"Malfoy, act your age. Not your shoe size."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Hermione scowled as she could practically hear the sound of the scold fly over Malfoy's head.

"So…there's…"

"Nothing." He said flatly.

Hermione stood silent. What the hell? Why had she come rushing down here? It was a hunch, and trying to figure out why Malfoy had given her the potion was ruining her brain. Why had she run out on McGonagall? Why had the feeling of victory been so strong?

Malfoy was watching her lazily.

She shifted, thinking furiously.

If Malfoy didn't give the potion to knock her down a few notches, why had he done it? Obviously, he'd been acting on impulse. But why her? Why not give it to Pansy? Or someone?

She had more problems?

She was uglier?

She was the nearest?

He sighed impatiently. Like he was waiting for something.

…

Because she was the only one who would learn from the experience. The answer hit her like a brick in a sock being thrown at her head. She looked up at him with her serious brown eyes.

"So, I'm the only one who would learn? What did you learn from traveling back?" she asked quietly, as if he'd heard her thoughts as well.

Malfoy didn't show any signs of confusion. In fact, he looked as if he had heard her thoughts.

"That's for me to know, and no one to find out." He said with a devilish grin.

"Fine." Hermione said shortly "I'll see you later then, muffin."

"Muffin?"

She had to laugh to herself as she climbed the stairs out of his view, while he stood down there trying to figure out why the hell she'd called him muffin.

Problem solved? No. She'd find out why he gave her a potion. Subconscious ulterior motive, she was sure. Maybe some veritaserum would make him spill? No.

That worked on conscious thought.

Maybe she should just settle on confusing the hell out of him with random nicknames.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

Dinner is always a fine affair. With candles, and chatter. Food, and laughter. Twinkling eyes and rich beverages.

Harry laughing, and Ron snickering.

Malfoy absorbed in a discussion with Crabbe, probably teaching him ho to write an 'O'.

Ginny was laughing with her friends from her year.

The hall was brimming with clattering and the glow of floating candles. Grapes and fruit piled high next to mounds of mashed potatoes, and thick slices of meat. Carrots, peas, biscuits, butter.

Pumpkin juice, milk, tea, water.

All Hogwarts students ate richly, their plates laden with steaming food.

Hermione Granger, however, forked a trail through her food with a spoon. Her head rest in her hands, and her brow was crinkled with worry. Her dark eyes stayed trained on a dancing candle flame, teasing her with it's wild fun.

Her brain was a tired, numbing, blank.

"Eat Hermione." Harry said, his hard tone breaking into her thoughts.

Her spoon scooped an interesting array of gravy, potato and chicken into her limp mouth, her eyes not leaving the flame.

Harry watched, his green eyes questioning, while Ron turned to another Gryffindor to talk.

She went back to trailing, chewing and swallowing absently.

"Eat more Hermione." Harry said, watching as she did so, and wondering if he placed a silverfish on her spoon and told her to eat it she would.

Suddenly, her eyes turned full blast onto him.

"Harry. I was wondering. Are you aware of ulterior motive to any subconscious thought during you conscious hours of aberrant cogitation?" she asked hollowly, her eyes now studying him.

"You lost me after 'aware'" he replied, shoveling food into his mouth.

Under Harry's surveillance, Hermione obediently ate her food, some dessert and had two cups of tea.

By the time she was done, she was ready to render the food back onto the table.

"Urgh." She groaned, picking up her bag.

"Where are you going?" Ron asked.

Hermione had to remind herself not to snap at him for always questioning her like she was 4.

Deep breath.

"I'm going to the library Ron. Your mom sent stuff for you earlier. It's on your bed." She told him dryly. She'd figured it wasn't nice to leave his sewn pajamas in the common room for him to find.

Plus, she liked her ass just fine, and having the wrath of Ron inflicted on it was more than her tired and oil-needing brain could handle.

She slipped out of the hall, and noting the temperature drop in the rest of the school, tightened her cloak around her.

On swift, silent feet, she robotically slipped up to the library, and pushed on the heavy oak door.

It smelled of must, books, and the lingering aroma of a girls perfume.

The floor uttered familiar creaks and groans as her feet swiftly stomped over the ancient planks, to a reference section.

Viciously, she ripped open the catalog, and stared browsing.

Muggle…D…Muggle…D!…Dr…Drugs…Drugs…Potions…

Her mind watched and commanded as her fingers ran expertly over the tabs, processing the words faster than the librarian herself could.

Wizard…Drugs…

HAH!

She pulled an ancient and withered card out, and studied it. A grand old tome. She memorized the numbers, found it in her head, pictured it. Stuffing the card back into place, she slammed it shut and walked smartly into the looming figures of bookshelves. At the dark shadows, she picked up a library lamp, lit it, and confidently marched into the lines. The black slipped away from the invading yellow, and Hermione vacantly scanned.

Finally, she stopped, reached up, and plucked at the book. It teetered.

Hissing, Hermione put the lamp down, and caught the book in her arms as it fell, uttering a muffled groan and bending her knees to absorb the shock.

She then had to put it down, because the storm of dust was threatening to kill her.

Coughing, hacking and sputtering, she calmly fanned her face, and performed a smart charm to clear the air.

Determination. Mechanical determination.

She looked at the faded blue leather stretched across the book like a sick skin, the fancy gold writing impressed upon the cover making her cock her eyebrow.

_**Where Muggles and Wizards cross, the dark mixtures of death and defiances.**_

Sounds pleasant, she thought absently, ignoring the error on the cover and flipping it open.

She scanned the index of muggle drugs.

Meth.

There it was.

Running a finger along the line, she blinked at the number of potions that had Meth in them.

Sitting on the cold wood floor, she flipped the pages, her eyes scanning.

Habitually, Hermione and stopped and listened to her surroundings.

Nothing.

None of the lamps were lit either, aside form hers.

She bent back over the pages, checking her watch for the time she was going to go meet Ginny.

It was 6 now. She had an hour. Nodding to herself, she quickly hefted the tome onto her hip when she stood, and picked up the lamp.

Not bothering to sign the book out, she blew out the lamp, put it back, and left with a resounding creak, bang, click.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

"And where are you going?" Ron asked. Hermione's shoulders slumped in anger, and her eyes closed in a moment of exasperation. She didn't turn to face him.

"Out." She grunted through her teeth.

"Out where?" Ron quizzed, putting his nose inches form his chess game again, now not really paying attention.

"Out. Of my head." She muttered, continuing on her inconspicuous sprint for the door.

When Hermione banged the portrait hole shut, neither of the boys playing chess noticed, having reverted back to throwing the pieces at each other.

Hermione stomped down to meet Ginny, gathering herself, confident in the book in her bag, and the head on her shoulders.

Preparing herself for what she didn't know, but was fairly confident wouldn't be pretty.

**Okay. This was more of a story filler, but I needed to work on the characters, and get some confusion going…and…get my ass out of procrastinating after exams. **

**Thank you! Review! **


	12. I'll have you know!

**_I'll have you know_**

**_Chapter 12_**

**Lady Roa**

'I need a place to fit the requirements of a friend. I need a place to fit the requirements of a friend. I need a place to fit the requirements of a friend.'

Hermione paced in front of the door, thinking furiously. Finally, it appeared. Hermione blinked and stared at the small red door, which barely reached her hip. It had a small, hooked black handle, and a warslot on the top. It clearly boar the cryptic scrawl:

Ginevra Weasley, Hermione Jane Granger, conspiring liar.

The 'conspiring liar' made her smirk.

Getting on her hands and knees, she clenched the handle, which gave a great "CHNK!". Frozen, Hermione stared at the door as loud grinding and mechanical groaning, clinks, clangs, bangs, metal on wood, and a rhythmical squeak came from it.

Then, it simply clicked open.

Reaching behind her, she dragged her bag through by the strap, and shut the door, which had a mind blowing amount of black metal and locking equipment on the back. As soon as she shut the door, it slid back into place.

"It's 7:01." A dry voice mused.

Hermione turned around to see Ginny perched innocently on a deep purple pillow. The room was round, and stone. It had no windows, no chairs, no lamps. There was a scrubbed table, which she could only use properly of she were sitting on a pillow, because of it's low height.

Pillows of various shapes, sizes, patterns, materials and eras were littered everywhere.

There was a couple hook with 12 different cauldrons.

A cupboard Hermione assumed held ingredients.

A knife, spoons, mortars, pestles. Jars.

In the middle of the room, was what looked like a pool of water, which glowed and eerie aquamarine, throwing the room in a comfortable blue-green, watery shadow.

"Ginny." Hermione said, still looking around.

"Have a seat." Ginny said graciously, sweeping upwards as Hermione sat. She hurried over to the cupboard and opened it. Bending backwards she looked at Hermione upside down and offered a mega-watt smile.

"Poison? Bones? Beetles? Can I get you anything?"

Hermione made a face.

"Answers?"

Ginny rolled her eyes, straightened and bent into the cupboard, rear sticking out. Her muffled voice came from inside.

"I see my place has accepted you into my plan. What with your name on my carefully designed door and all."

"I offered. You agreed."

She backed out of the closet, jars, cups, spoons and a knife in hand, dumping them on the table beside Hermione.

"You can't honestly think I'm going to admit everything." Ginny said smartly mashing up unidentifiable stuff from the jars in a bowl. She greatly reminded Hermione of Mrs. Weasley cooking.

"No. Not really." Hermione said, digging in her bag. She pulled the book out.

Ginny stared at the back, completely lost.

"But" Hermione said seriously, slamming the book down "I believe you about the drugs. You're using them in a potion with black magic, aren't you?"

Ginny's face flickered for a second, before she slipped a mask back on. An evil smile spread on her face.

"Well, I expected something far off the mark. You give nice head."

Hermione couldn't help but laugh at Ginny's attempt at the muggle phrase. And how horribly she'd gotten it wrong.

"You mean I hit the head? The head of the problem." She corrected.

Ginny smirked.

"Did I?"

Hermione made a disgusted face this time.

"Gin? You're very…Slytherin-ish…"

At this, Ginny's features darkened, her face falling.

"I'm sorry." She said quietly.

"It wasn't an insult! Gin?"

The girl had fallen silent and was staring into the so-far-pointless pool.

"I've joined the Death Eaters, Hermione." Ginny said suddenly.

A silence.

Hermione's brain picked up on death eaters, her name, and I've. The 'joined' part was jamming the system, and she wasn't getting a result. Then, came the realization.

Complete and utter shock.

A breathless, heart pounding shock.

Then, doubt. Not Ginny. She wouldn't. That's not true. They wouldn't let her in! Voldemort has a thing against Weasleys! Of course they wouldn't let her in! What the hell was Ginny doing? Death Eaters? Death Eaters! No! She couldn't have the mark. She'd be thrown in Azkaban. Forever! Her family? What about Ron? She could die! The Death Eaters will kill her! It's not true! It's not possible. Ginny? Her little Ginny? When? How? WHY?

_**Why, why, why ,why, why, why?**_

"Why?" Hermione asked. It was a whisper compared to the screaming and confusion going on in her head. Then, fear. She was in the room with a Death Eater. Voldemort's puppet.

"So I can kill them."

Ginny's voice hard gone hard, and steely. Emotionless and full of hatred. Her eyes were slits as she glared at the water, and her fiery red hair seemed to burn.

"Ginny? This can't be…you…you didn't!" Hermione finally wailed in despair.

Ginny was now watching Hermione push the heels of her hands into her eyes to stop the tears from flowing.

"I know how it sounds. But, I've got a plan." Ginny said, now trying not to come off as homicidal as she had 20 seconds ago.

"I don't believe you!" Hermione said harshly, pulling away.

Ginny looked sad as she rolled up her robes, and the ugly mark came to light. It was smoky and faded, but still there. Evil, disgusting, revolting, and there. Burnt into the pale flesh on Ginny's small arm.

Hermione let out a silent sob, ruthlessly wiping at her tears.

"What. Are you going to do now?" She asked, her voice shaking with effort to stop crying and help, like she'd promised.

"Kill them. One by one."

"And this potion?"

"It's for the King himself."

Hermione took a deep breath, trying to sort out this information and keep her system from falling apart. In…Out. In…Out.

Dear, god. This was dangerous. Huge.

"I'll help you. To save Harry…"

"And humanity." Ginny said firmly, earning a look from Hermione. Hermione stood up and paced around the room. She tapped her finger to her lip, still shaky. She was wary of Ginny, but the thirst to do something as courageous as the youngest Weasley was getting stronger.

"You have to let me know everything. Everything Ginny. I mean it. I don't mean to be all threatening and everything, but I can't help if I'm not up to my forehead in knowledge." Hermione said, pointing to said body area.

Ginny nodded.

"You have to promise to keep this nil." Ginny said, looking desperate. Hermione sat across from her. She made an X over her heart, and Ginny gave a small smile.

"I joined to find out what they were up to. You wouldn't believe what I had to go through to find a hookup. I couldn't very well go to the Slytherins, could I? I found a guy in Ravenclaw. It took a lot of work to get them to believe me. Horrible things, Hermione. I did horrible things. I'll never be clean, even in death. Ever. The final thing was to kill the hookup. Then they'd initiate me." Ginny began, surprising Hermione with a full account.

It clicked in Hermione's head.

"Oh, god. Ginny. Oh god. You…Oh god."

The tears came now, dripping on the desk as she sobbed. The disbelief in her head was strong. The pounding was unforgivable.

"I had to. I didn't want to. But, he was the real thing. He'd killed his sister to get in. That's how I consoled myself."

"By convincing yourself it's okay to kill people that you consider lower than you?" Hermione gasped, her tear streaked face shiny. Her harsh snap, made Ginny look away.

Then, Hermione remembered. The kids in Ravenclaw, looking confused for a week. One girl crying. The fact that they cut themselves off from the rest of the school in a sneaky frog-in-tepid-to-boiling water approach.

"It was Cyle Weeks. The Ravenclaw 5th year. Oh god, Ginny." Hermione said, a little anger seeping into her revultion, and she hit the table with her hand.

"They let me in. I've slowly been climbing the ladder. Digging. I've had to practice everything to keep it all away from the Dark Lord. He's like a dog that can sniff fear, disgust, lies, and procrastination. I've had to set up walls, practice spells, and take potions. All to keep my cover. The Zonko's heist. The Gringott's hold up. I had to take out ministry members my father works with." When she said that she sounded like she was going to start tearing too.

Hermione stayed silent.

"I've slowly found out plans. Set up my own to start annihilating Eaters. I have careful plans. I've even got Ron working on the strategy, though he doesn't know it. Voldemort is going to go after low ranking members of the ministry. When he takes over the majority, it'll be no problem taking over the authority. He'll have 67 of the ministry under his control, and most of them will be secretaries, workers, mail carries, flooers, and guards. I've warned my Dad of little things. I'm keeping an eye on him, even though I'm not supposed to. Voldemort is getting better at thinking things through. He's not aiming for high power now. It's majority.

Taking over kids, in families. House elves."

Hermione let out a strangled cry at the last two.

"He's then going to move up, silently, swiftly. The next waves of first years will be completely under his control, and he'll be invading Hogwarts. If he catches you, he's going to keep you, Hermione. You need to know this. You'll be a slave for their sick little pleasures. They'll keep Ron. They didn't say what for." Her voice was tight, scared and high.

"And Harry. Oh god. They're going to kill Harry in the most sick, unimaginable way. He's got people working on a potion based a Keklepot's venom."

Hermione felt sick. Keklepot venom. One bite from a Keklepot and you live for 5 years. But, every day, you slowly die. And people around you die. Bad luck in its extreme follows you, kills your loved ones, workers, bosses. Eventually, you die by coughing up bits and pieces of yourself. You digest your own stomach. And get suffocated by your own lungs.

"But, they're gonna make it worse. They're going to kill everyone in front of him. They're going to show him Voldemort's memories of murdering people he loves. His parents. Hermione, they're going to torture him."

Finally, Hermione thought up a question.

"The order? Your family? What can we do?"

"Close the school, not accept any more members and watch closely." Ginny said.

Hermione breathed into her hands.

"How far along are we?"

"We're still in stage one."

"We've got time, then."

Ginny picked up the book Hermione brought and flipped it open. She snorted.

"Pansy Potions. They're won't even burn his ass. Let alone kill him."

"How are you planning to do this?" Hermione asked, confused.

"Take him out. Without a leader, they run around like idiots. I've seen it." Ginny said reasonably.

Hermione shook her head. Ginny lifted a brow.

"The last thing he'll be expecting is to have his plan used against him. We should take down the strong ones, and bewitch the weak."

"Who's this WE, white man?" Ginny asked pointedly.

"Your front, my shadows, Gin. That's how we can do this." Hermione said determinedly. Ginny nodded.

"Go on."

"False information. That's what we need to feed them."

"They're not looking for information, Hermione, they're looking for dominance."

Hermione let out a grunt of frustration.

"Then go ask the Dark Lord if he's a top or a bottom!" she snapped.

Ginny stared, then paled. Then, she got it. And started laughing.

"Ew…ahaha…Oh, ew…Ahahahah…"

Hermione waited until the redhead's laughing fit was over.

"Ew, that's so sick." She said, letting out a giggle and shuddering, then giggling again.

Hermione nearly pulled out her hair. Where had THAT come from? She knew she'd never say anything like THAT two weeks ago. She'd be mortified if she'd even thought it, let alone say it.

Hermione slipped out of her robes, and pointed to the pool.

"What's that?"

"It's an OgniSpecchio."

Hermione stared at her from the lip of the pool, which wasn't more than 50 inches deep.

"Bless you?"

"It's Italian for every mirror. It can do nearly anything. Transportation, freezing, storage, fire, summaries, and can see people and what they're doing. It's expensive, rare, and I love it." Ginny explained, circling it.

Hermione noted it, then went back to business.

"What are the muggle drugs for?"

"Intended use."

"What?"

Ginny looked at her like she was stupid.

"Drugging him?" she said.

"It won't work." Hermione said.

"What?"

"Have you ever seen Harry drunk?"

Ginny mouthed soundlessly.

"No? And why haven't you?"

"'Cause the man can hold his booze!" Ginny proclaimed.

"And whose blood did your master use to be basically resurrected?"

"Harry's." Ginny said pointedly.

"Exactly."

"SO? What does that have to do with it? Just because the guy's liver is better than every one else's doesn't mean the dark lord can't get high!"

Hermione rubbed her eyes.

"Yes…but…"

"Hermione! You're telling me I can't drug He-who-won't-be-tamed, because Harry can hold his alcohol. Ever tried Harry on drugs, Hermione?"

Hermione looked affronted.

"Of course not!"

"We'll there's about 70 words worth of arguing wasted!" Ginny snarled.

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Fine."

They were silent a minute.

"Gin, I'll see you in the morning. I'm going to go sleep on this."

Ginny shrugged. Hermione felt drained, bone tired and wide awake.

"Oh, Hermione?"

She turned around, seeing Ginny taking off her shoes and stepping into the pool, which left a bit of knee from the surface to her skirt hem.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry. I really am. But it has to be done, and no one was doing it. And I can't waste my life waiting for people to get their asses moving. To get this room again, think what's on the door."

Hermione smiled, and nodded.

"I forgive you Gin. I know I'm gonna have to be doing a lot more work than I thought I would."

She opened the door, waiting for the locks to undo so she could open it, crawled through and stopped.

"Ginny?"

"Yeah?" Ginny's voice echoed above the splashing of water.

"Does Malfoy know about the plan?"

Ginny looked up, confused.

"Hermione, Malfoy isn't a Death Eater."

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

**Hello muffins! I felt inspired this morning. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! I posted this chapter before the reviews for yesterday's stopped coming, so I'm hoping you'll all love me and keep 'em coming for this one!**


	13. Flight, Fight, and Fright

**Flight, fight, and fright.**

Hermione stared at the broom. It lay on the grass, mocking her for her lack of flight skills.

"Hermione, just feel it. Pull the broom towards you." Harry coached, holding her right upper arm to direct it over the broom.

"Feel welcoming."

"I can't feel welcoming when I want to set it on fire!" Hermione snapped, waving her hand in the air as Harry laughed softly. He let go and picked it up, holding it upright next to his frame. She reached, and he let it fall.

With a gasp, Hermione lurched to catch it, and the broom swiveled mid-air and fell lightly into her grasp. Harry smirked. Hermione stared down at the soft, smooth wood gleaming up at her.

She looked up at Harry, who was standing with his arms folded, green eyes glittering. She straightened, and huffed. His smirk grew to a grin.

"Oh, shut up Harry." She sighed.

He started laughing.

Hermione had officially decided that if she were to help Ginny better, she was to get over all her initial fears. She made a list to show these fears, and added suggestions as to what she should do.

_Brooms. – Ask Harry if he'll teach me?_

_Failing– Never failed anything. Study harder._

_Death Eaters – Get cozy with Malfoy and Zabini. Right. _

With this list, she marched down to Harry and asked him to teach her to fly. Ignoring Ron's witty remark about high towers and freefalling, she dragged Harry out to the pitch with Ron's Comet and Harry's Firebolt.

"It's a miracle. Now that you have it, mount it." He instructed, pointing to the broom. Hermione stared at him, a vision of dogs in mating season floating behind her eyes. Shaking her head, she threw her jean clad leg over the broom.

"Good."

"Shouldn't we be doing this at a full moon, teaching my cat to balance on the broom as well, and letting me cackle while flying?" she asked, nastily staring down at the expensive driftwood.

She heard Harry sigh and mount his own broom. She suddenly felt stupid, standing on the pitch with a broom in between her thighs.

"Stop standing. Sit on it. You have to trust it." Harry explained.

"You make it sound like it has a mind of it's own." Hermione said nervously.

"It's part of the charm."

"Charm charm, or charm as in characteristics charm?" she questioned.

Harry ignored her.

"Now, feel like you are going to go up. Feel light." He said soothingly, demonstrating, and hovering a few feet above ground.

"I feel like a whale. This stick isn't going to support me." She said, looking up at a lazily floating Harry, and pointing down at the broom with one finger. He rolled his eyes.

"Come ON, Hermione." He called. She crossed her arms, willing herself to believe that leaving the ground was a good idea. She'd never liked flying, in aeroplanes, or on brooms. The thought of space travel sickened her, and climbing trees was firmly cut out of her childhood. She liked her feet firmly on the ground. Both of them.

"Are you afraid of **_failing?_**" Harry taunted, a smile on his face as he watched the girl struggle between the urge to cling to the grass, and come up in the air to pummel him.

She took a deep, calming breath. Happy thoughts.

Skinny. Weightless.

She sat gingerly on the broom, feeling awkward with the balancing.

"Now, come on up, and join the world of normal people." Harry crowed.

Hermione fumed, chewing her lip, and looking at her feet, loosely touching the ground. Now or never.

She felt like flying upwards, and the broom complied, with a swift upwards pull that lead Hermione to shriek and cling to it. It stopped as soon as her desire to stop did.

"Does it read your mind?" she asked breathlessly as she shakily leveled with Harry, who was stretched out on his broom, legs dangling over, face on his arm watching her.

"I don't think so. It more responds to muscle tensing." He told her.

"Is this a theory?" she asked, looking at the ground.

"Maybe, I have a theory it's theory." He answered, grinning boyishly as she glared at him.

Hermione's knuckles were white, and her muggle attire made her cold. She pulled her thick Surrey football sweater around her.

"Now. We're gonna try a lap around the pitch, higher." Harry said happily.

Hermione stared at him, cinnamon eyes wide.

He flew away.

"Harry!" she yelled, and it came out like a sound a strangled duck would make.

Urging herself forwards, she flew unsteadily after Harry, who was happily zooming around on Ron's Comet, making it go as fast as it could.

"What are you? A fruit fly?" she gasped, as he randomly changed directions.

He barrel rolled to her with a jaw-jutting grin on his face.

"Are you getting it?"

"Yes."

"Do you like it?"

"You tell me."

"Are you afraid?"

"Not…really. Not of the concept of flying. Just…heights."

"Of being high up?"

"No." she said, surprised, as Harry knowingly narrowed down her fear.

"Of falling, perhaps?"

"Yeah. Of falling." She said slowly, staring in his green eyes as he lifted a jet black eyebrow. He suddenly grinned.

"Alright. We'll help."

"Huh?" was all Hermione managed to get out before he pushed her off her broom.

She screamed before she even registered she was falling. The rushing sensation flooded her stomach, as her body arched and twisted unnaturally in the air. It lasted about 4 seconds, before she felt like she'd landed on a feather bed.

She gasped, and coughed violently.

She sat up, Harry landing beside her.

Coughing, she shied away from him when he reached for her.

"Hermione. It's a net. It's always up unless there's a match going on." He explained, sounding worried.

She managed to control her coughing, heart beating painfully fast.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER! What is wrong with you? Are you trying to kill me? What was that for? How was that supposed to cure my fear of falling? Huh? If anything it made me more afraid! How could you? Why did you? What is so .."

"HERMIONE!" Harry yelled over her.

"What?" she snapped, angrily wiping away the tears that had developed.

"You have to do something before you decide on being afraid of it." He said, calmly.

Hermione balked.

"How do I get down? If I fall again, mark my words, Potter, I'll haunt you for spite." She said venomously. He rolled his eyes, and grabbed her around the waist.

She squeaked as he flew and deposited her on the ground.

"It's your unwillingness to experience that you fear." He told her bluntly. Hermione snorted, and scooped up her bookbag.

"Thanks, but no thanks, Harry."

"Whatever pulls your wank." He said, shrugging.

Hermione started.

"HARRY! I expect that from RON!" she scolded, sounding insulted.

He laughed, and sped away from her jelly legs jinx.

Frustrated, Hermione turned and stalked back up towards the castle, leaving Harry to zoom about like a bird.

Her walk up to the castle was uneventful. She worked on calming herself until she could breath properly again, before walking haughtily into the castle.

"Granger." A silky voice drifted from the shadows, and she closed her eyes, counting to 5.

"Malfoy." She said icily to his advancing form.

"I saw you on the pitch."

"Well, good for you." Hermione said snappishly.

He ignored her.

"You need to relax."

"You need to take your relaxation and shove it where…"

Draco Malfoy basically appeared from the shadows, a look on his face Hermione could not decipher.

"Were you just about to insult me?" he asked quietly.

Hermione bristled.

"Yes, I was. Still am." She responded, narrowing her eyes. The light caught the blond hair that fell lightly down in the unslicked style of his hair. Puberty had given it a gold tone, instead of the bleach blond that had been there before. She could clearly see his oddly silver eyes, complete with a blue ring around the iris. His skin was like hers, naturally blemish free, and the contours of his face melted linelessly together.

A pang went off in Hermione's gut that she quickly suppressed, getting the Snape-like feeling of mind reading. He stepped closer to her.

"And why would that be?" he asked, staring straight down at her. Hermione could easily have put her hand out on his broad chest, and pushed him away, out of her personal space bubble. His calmness normally drove her up the wall. Now, it was like the warm and safe silence before a typhoon.

The pang scorched her again. It was turning more into a bubble now.

"Because you're impossible. You're bipolar. I see a side of you I'd talk civilly too, and you go all mad axe murderer." She said, staring straight back at him.

"Maybe I'm just like that." He said, lifting a shoulder elgenatly.

Hermione narrowed her eyes.

"Then I'm done with you."

She made to go, and he grabbed her arm.

"I'm not done with you." He said evenly.

Hermione drew herself up, then remembered her list.

_3. Death Eaters – Get cozy with Malfoy and Zabini. Right._

This was cozy. Her pounding chest knew that. He was looking at her.

"What do you want?" Hermione asked, licking her lips quickly.

There was a ghost of a smirk , but it vanished.

"You know what I want." He said, his voice normal, and aloof. No longer calm, and slightly seductive.

"What? A fight? Truce? Help?" she trailed off, preparing herself. "Sex?"

He smiled. A smile that showed his straight, white, pureblood teeth.

"Are you offering sex now, Granger? I was thinking along the lines of a civil truce. You're in a plan cooking around here. I want in too." He said, now stepping back.

Hermione instantly missed his presence around her, and hated herself for it. She took it out on him.

"I'd never offer sex to you, Ferret. Civil truce? Trying to kill me, insulting me? Calling me 'Mudblood' and forcing a potion on me? Calling me GRANGER? Oh, yeah. Nice truce. I'm not in any 'plan'. Even if I was, I would NEVER let you in on it. You messed up a LONG time ago, buddy. Don't even think of rolling in with the happy crowd now." She ranted, fuming. His eyes narrowed, and Hermione inwardly recoiled. Her stupid Gryffindor bravery kept her stock-still and clenching her fists.

"That's bullshit. You're in on a plan, and we both know it. You'd better submit, I have friends in high places." He whispered, gripping his left forearm.

Hermione's temper exploded. He was **such** a **liar**.

"You're not a death eater Malfoy, so don't even think of bullying ME." She snarled, her words echoing around the empty hall. His face showed surprise, then triumph, and Hermione realized what she had just exposed.

"SHIT!" she shrieked, covering her mouth and spinning away from Malfoy, searching the floor frantically for answers.

"You're in on a plan, Hermione. And you know it." He said evenly, the smirk of winning in his voice.

Hermione whipped around.

"You're such a dunce, DRACO." She snarled, her face bright red.

"Don't call me Draco. You haven't earned it." He said dangerously.

Hermione pounded his chest with her fists about six times.

"Then DON'T call me HERMIONE. You have NO RIGHT. YOU'RE NOT HIGHER THAN ME AND YOU NEVER WILL BE."

"So, you're higher then me, now?" he said skeptically.

"I never said that."

"That's such bull."

"I didn't!"

"The virgin Granger. Insisting on something she already said." He sang. Hermione stared at him.

"THAT MAKES NO SENSE, FRUITCAKE!" she howled.

"Virgin." He muttered.

Hermione stopped. She lightly punched his stomach, so he shrunk away from her to avoid her hit.

"Jesus woman, you're violent."

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Hermione ground out, kicking him.

"Is that an invite?"

"You'll never get one. Ever."

He glared her, as she stood still for the first time in 5 minutes.

"Then, I guess I'll have to make one." He said, flippantly.

Hermione didn't register the insinuation, even as he closed the gap and covered her lips with his. Her eyes slipped shut as she melted into his embrace on instinct.

She felt his arms go around her waist, as she was pressed against his body. Her hands ran up his arms and across the expanse of his shoulders.

He sucked her lower lip between his, and massaged it with his tongue. Hermione began to kiss back experimentally.

Suddenly, a name bust into her head.

**DRACO MALFOY**!

Her eyes snapped open, and she shoved herself away.

"Uhgh!" she said, pressing her hands over her eyes, and still reeling from the sensation. She could still feel the heat of his lips on hers. Hermione whipped around.

"What in Merlin's name was THAT?" she said. He shrugged.

"You started it."

"I did NOT."

"You liked it."

"I…"

It hit her that, she did, in fact like it.

"I did not!" she hissed. He rolled his eyes.

"What is wrong with you?" Hermione questioned. He sighed in exasperation.

"Obviously, you're dumber than I thought. I'm the black sheep. You're right! I'm not a death eater. I don't know how you know that little tidbit, but I have a feeling the old geezer told you! You just don't understand that I want to stop this goddamn war, because I know what's coming. You're in on something, I know it. You always are. Potter and the weasel are too stupid to take action by themselves, but you aren't. I gave you the potion so you'd grow some balls."

"I don't need BALLS Malfoy, I need you to bugger off and die!" Hermione snapped, shouldering her bag nervously.

"I want you to help me. I was calling a TRUCE. A Malfoy calling a truce with a .."

Hermione thinned her lips, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"MUGGLEBORN! I'm employing you to help me." He finished, not even noticing her warning signs.

Hermione stared at him. She was still tingling.

"Do you need my help, Draco?" Hermione asked quietly.

He stopped.

"What?"

"Do you _need _my help?"

There was a silence when he mulled over surrendering the fact that he needed something from her.

"Yes."

"So, the stuff about stealing and Gryffindor, and drugs…"

"It was stolen. I'm still getting threatened to find it." He answered nastily.

"But, it was a ruse."

He glowered.

"Maybe, a little, in a way. Are you going to help me, or not Granger?"

Hermione thought about it. She knew he wasn't going to get to the center of their plan. Ever. It just wasn't going to happen.

"Maybe, Draco. Maybe."

His eyes flashed.

"Yes, or No?"

Hermione lifted her chin.

"It'll be No if you keep pestering me. Stop calling me mudblood, stop insulting me, stop wishing death upon my friends…" she paused to consider, silently wishing she wouldn't add it "And don't kiss me."

He ground his teeth, she could hear the nasty scarping sounds. She resisted wincing and telling him off about ruining enamel.

"AND?" he finally said.

"I'll consider hearing you out." Hermione said sweetly.

"No guarantees of course that I'll help you. I don't even know what you want help with, exactly, and why. So. We'll need some time to make sure that you're not Lucifer in disguise, and then I'll help you find Jesus' sandals." She continued, using muggleisms he'd never dreamed off.

"You, are one messed up bird, Granger." He said nastily.

"Bugger off Malfoy."

"Will you come?"

Hermione clenched her fists. How come he could do that to her so easily? Make her want to pound him. Make her want to…be closer to him. Hermione shook her head.

"Goodbye, Draco." She said with a businesslike nod, before walking away as fast as her legs would allow.

iiii!iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!

Hermione lay in bed, while the snores of the other girls rose around her. The clock read 12:43. Hermione rolled over, looking our the window beside her bed, her blankets kicked off, and the purple silk number that had been sitting on her pillow sitting deliciously on her slight frame.

Draco had kissed her.

She was forcing herself to call him Draco. She'd been so preoccupied with what he'd done that morning; she'd skipped lunch, dinner, and homework. Much to Harry's displeasure. He'd forced her to eat some yogurt and something else she couldn't remember before she went to bed. Her hair was in loose corkscrew curls , splayed out around her. She'd just realized that her hair was halfway down her upper arms tonight, and had left it wet, after saying her spell. She liked the calming, frizzless, loose curls effect it had on her hair.

She stared at the lake, and the moonlight reflecting off it's small waves, thinking about Draco, arms slung around her waist, delicious lips pressed to hers.

The scary thing was, she liked it. A lot. She'd do it again. And again. And again.

Feeling slightly disloyal, she rolled over and sighed into her pillow, leaving the hangings open. She knew she was going to reconstruct that moment in her dreams.

As she feel asleep she had no idea that the other participant was laying awake, revisiting the exact same thing in his own green and silver four-poster.

**OKAY! I got sick, and then forgot about it and then I typed it and word shut down, so I was shunning typing programs…..shame**

**I know. I don't deserve your love. I'M SO SORRY. I give you guys this in my defense. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review! PLEASE! **

**PLEASE! **

**I'm begging! I'm on my knees!**


	14. Gutting

**Not cleaning, gutting and rebuilding.**

Hermione was bedraggled and bleary eyed as she made her way to breakfast the next day. She numbly followed the stream of first years from the charms hallways, down, down, down, and sharply into the entrance hallway, where Harry and Ron awaited her, fresh from Herbology.

"Hermione, you look bloody tired." Ron said with a quick exhale of air as she hopped down the last step dejectedly.

"I FEEL bloody tired." She answered.

"Why?" Harry asked, shouldering his bag from the floor as they enter the Great Hall and walked between the tables.

Hermione thought.

'_Well, Harry, I stayed up late into the night last night, thinking about Malfoy and his talented lips.'_

'_I didn't get any work done last night, and stayed up thinking about Malfoy.'_

'_Instead of doing my homework, I stayed up and thought of all the ways I could jump Malfoy's bones.'_

None of those answers seemed very wise, nor tactful.

"I felt sick." Hermione answered instead, plopping down.

"Where's Ginny?" Ron asked, now moving to a new topic.

Harry shrugged, Hermione scooped the assortment of lunch materials onto her plate.

"Dunno. I didn't see her at breakfast. What did you do to her Hermione?" Ron demanded.

A lick of hot irritation blazed through her.

"Oh bugger off Ron! Why do you have to bloody blame ME? What did I do?" she asked, stabbing a kipper ruthlessly.

"I'm not blaming you!"

"That's such a steaming pile of .."

"Hermione!" Harry warned, the sound coming in low and dangerous. She swiveled to face him, a face pulled.

"Harry!" she mocked.

He sighed.

"What's wrong with you?" Ron asked.

"Nothing!" Hermione snapped, and proceeded to shovel food into her mouth.

Ginny plopped down beside Hermione.

"Oh, Hi ginny!" Ron said brightly.

Hermione slammed down her fork. Glaring, she swallowed and turned to Ginny.

"So?"

Ginny shrugged.

"Well?"

Ginny now sighed.

"What was I supposed to be looking for?"

"Something better?"

"Better? I think it's fine! It's brilliant!"

"Psh!"

"What are you talking about?" Harry interrupted. Hermione went to snarl at him, but Ginny got there first.

"The best contraception spells."

Ron turned green, and made strange gulping noises. Harry lifted a shoulder and resumed talking to Dean, beside him.

"You need something better!"

"I can't! What are we going to do? Pull the same move?"

"We can start here!"

"Oh, wonderful. Hand out pamphlets listing signs and results, and how to protect yourself and friends." Ginny said dryly.

"What the…?"

"Shut up Ron." They both said in unison, not looking up. He sputtered.

"I demand to know what is REALLY going on."

Hermione rolled her eyes, and placed her palms on the table.

"Voldemort is going to take over the world by corrupting the majority. The little people. He will then attack world leaders, and already have majority covered. Then, all he will have to do is pull some strings and muggles, muggleborns, and squibs all get eliminated overnight." She said in a rush of pure venom.

Ron turned white, then his face twisted.

"Hermione, that's not funny."

"I never said it was."

"Right. If you don't want to tell me, then you just have to say so."

"I believe you've already been told what we're discussing." Hermione answered, in the same low, and placid tone. She then sat back down. Ginny kicked her shin, gave her a look of anger, and got up to walk away.

Hermione picked up her fork, put it down again.

Ron was now involved in Harry and Dean's conversation. She suddenly felt oddly left out of the boys. At that moment, she felt more alone and empty, faced with such a dark cloud, and heavy burden that was new. It was a weight that required a stronger person. Sighing, she pushed her plate away, scooped the book bag onto her shoulder and stood up.

"Granger."

She froze as she entered his personal space, and looked up the expanse of his chest into his silver eyes.

"Malfoy." She answered as blandly as possible, stepping back.

"You're required. Melissa." He said stiffly, before walking away. Hermione looked and saw Melissa beckoning from the doorway. Hermione groaned. She went to step away. She felt a tug on the edge of her skirt.

Confused, she pulled it back. Then it completely disappeared.

She stared down at her bare legs, her chest seizing and her breath stopping. Her mind went numb as she stared blandly at the exposed skin. A high, eerie note pierced her brain, as it struggled to identify and explain through it's fog.

People looked, and started to laugh before she could react. Hermione Granger stood, shocked, in her lacy lilac boy shorts, in the middle of the Great Hall.

It rose to a roar. It filled her ears.

She saw Malfoy turn, and shock hit him. She saw Harry's green eyes widen. She saw Ron's mouth fall. She heard Lavender's gasp.

She saw the 2nd year Slytherin smirk as he tucked his wand away.

Her ears suddenly blocked the noise out. Her fists clenched. A bubble of anger, and mortification popped. The weight of her emotions, her confusion, her secrecy.

Her legacy.

_Pop._

Harry started to get up, but froze. Hermione slammed her bag to the floor. She pointed to the boy who'd vanished her skirt.

"You! Snake! You little shit! I could have you killed!" she yelled.

The hall fell silent. The smile started to disappear on the kids face.

"I could skin you alive! String you up with your skin folded nicely like your pj's under you! Leave you drip out! Sell your parts to muggle black markets! God knows they could use some magical livers! You're disgusting! All of you." She screamed. Her chest was heaving, and her eyes prickled.

But the anger in her chest was more potent than any frustration she'd ever encountered.

"You guys want skin! That's it! You want to strip me down, and see Hermione Granger the way you want." She told them. Hermione's voice cracked, and wavered.

She shrugged.

"Fine. You want skin. I'll give you SKIN!" Hermione said defiantly. With this, she tugged off her sweater, and tossed it on the bench. She moved her eyes, and caught stormy silver ones, which were fighting to stay neutral. She unbuttoned the starchy white blouse, and slipped it off. She then removed the thin white camisole.

Kicked off her Mary Janes.

Peeled down the knee-high Gryffindor socks.

And stood prominently in the middle of the Hall, in her matching lilac, lacy bra and boy shorts.

It was deathly silent.

"So, HAH!" Hermione finally threw in, refusing to be mortified. She then, picked up her bag. Nodding at a stock-still Harry, and a frozen Ron. She glared at the Slytherin, and pointed her wand.

He flinched.

"You're going to be punished. Just watch. I'll get you, kiddo. Better ward your clothing in the morning." She drawled, the adrenaline making her feel all-powerful.

It was so empowering.

Hermione also knew that in the muggle world, her body would be drooled over. With this, she whipped around, and proudly strode out of the Hall, adding a slight sway to her hips, and pronounced smirk to her face.

She left a trial of complete and utter shock concerning the last 45 seconds of events.

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!

"I'm terribly disappointed."

Hermione stared straight ahead. She counted the number of birds that had flown past the window of McGonagall's office.

Eight.

"Ms. Granger?"

Hermione looked up as her Head of House sank into the chair behind her desk, and sounded desperately confused.

"Yes'm?" Hermione answered.

"No homework for the past two days…No class participation. Your last test…It…You got 48 out of 55! Then you remove your clothing! What is left in that head of yours? Then you avoid authority, skip detentions until I caught you today. The only thing you have remained faithful to is the meetings with the Head Boy and Girl. I am slightly disgusted. I thought you had more sense in your head. I thought being so close to Mr. Potter had shown you how to keep your head down and nose clean." Professor McGonagall said sharply. Hermione's eyes focused harshly on her.

The last comment had stung.

"With all do respect, Professor, my choice in friends is not my choice in behavior. And I have kept my head down, and nose clean for all my life. Voldemort still knows who I am. It didn't work out so well so far. And the order is doing nothing. Harry is still having dreams, and you're worried about me. If you all have the confidence in me you say you do, then you should know that I have the ability to take care of myself! You should be worried about how you're going to protect this school, and it's honor. I'll take action for myself in anyway I want. I can learn perfectly fine. Your homework and tests do not prove intelligence. I'm just not trying anymore. It's not something I want to do. It only gets me scrutinized." Hermione said, finishing her speech by lowering her gaze to the tips of her shoes.

The professor had started at the Dark Lord's name, and the way her mini rant had gotten steadily more forceful. Then her face hardened.

"Well, Ms.Granger. You take care of yourself then. I'm officially removing your prefect's rights, duties and position. It will be filled. I'm revoking your rights to tutor, your right to the library after hours. I will remove any ability to go to Hogsmede for the next 4 months. You will be given a detention whenever help is needed until after Christmas." McGonagall said, standing up and ripping up a piece of paper to write down the punishment for Hermione to deliver to Filch.

Hermione nearly cried out, but decided not to push it to expulsion, or removal of her advanced classes.

She told herself that she didn't care.

"Understand?" The professor's voice was harsh, and cracked like a whip.

"Yes, professor. Thank-you." Hermione said as she accepted the paper thrust at her.

She turned and left the office, shutting the door with a smart snap.

She turned and walked down the hallway.

"Malfoy." She said, noting the shadow following her.

"Granger. Nice show."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"Indeed. I have a deal."

"Info for info."

"I'm no lapdog."

Hermione smirked.

"Coulda fooled me."

"Pushing it, wench." Malfoy growled. Hermione stopped, and held up the paper. Malfoy's hair was undone, and bags were under his eyes. He looked restless and slightly edgy. Hermione looked up at him in the slated light.

"Look what you did to me Malfoy. You ruined me." She said quietly.

He smirked.

"Me? I hardly deserve the credit. I think you did it yourself. You've completely changed."

"Is that good?" Hermione asked him, her eyes boring into his. He regarded her.

"If you look to be a two-dollar whore."

"You'd know all about those, wouldn't you?" she asked, temper flaring.

So seduction was an area she wasn't good in.

"Low blow, Queen Bitchy."

"Mmmhmm. What do you want?"

"Well, since we're on the topic…"

Hermione stopped again, and pushed his shoulder so he stepped away from her.

"Back off, ferret face. Do you want in on this magnificent 'plan' that I've got, and give me information that I can only get from you, or am I going to have to think up something else?" she demanded. Hermione's brain was harsh and edge cutting. She was so done with everything. All she needed was a push towards the dark, brash girl that hid, and it came bursting forth like an A-cup bra holding D-cup breasts. Hermione was too engrossed in these new emotions to slow down. She no longer cared. She realized how Ginny felt now, most of the time. Most thought Ginny a character.

Hermione now recognized the prissy demeanor of a rough-sided ego. And it was intoxicating. Deadly. Alluring. A fountain of could.

And boy was she drinking.

"I'll help you. Only because you need me."

"You'll help because **you **need **me**." Hermione corrected, walking down the hallway, and taking the stairs to Filch's office three at a time.

"Deal?" Malfoy asked, avoiding her.

She stopped in front of his office, and banged on the door. It creaked open almost instantly.

"Oh. It's _you_." Filch said happily, his grizzly face peering out, considerably brightened.

Hermione held out the paper, face a mask of stone.

"In my day, they would have flogged you. And sent you off to the Hog's Head to a paying customer to be…punished." He said lewdly, his eyes boring at her in a way she didn't like. Malfoy's eyes slit at Filch over Hermione's head, and the Keeper noticed.

Sending the look back, he sneered at the fuming ex-prefect and slammed the door.

"He's such a liar." Hermione vented.

Malfoy shifted his weight.

"DEAL?"

She stared up at him.

"Only if you promise."

"Promise what?"

"Not to tell anyone anything, not to give anyone information, pictures or locations of myself, and to never kiss me again." Hermione said.

Malfoy sneered now.

"That kiss was a mistake."

"Oh yes. Your lips slipped."

"You kissed back." He snarled. His eyes were closed, and hard. Hermione's were defiant and slightly confused.

"Never." She repeated.

"Never." He echoed, the word hard and steely. Hermione walked away, her knees jelly and stomach a bowl of acid. Her head hurt, and someplace else ached a foreign ache, that she hoped would go away fast.

All of it was unexplainable.

And it would all hit her tomorrow.

**NOTE THAT YOU ALL MUST READ:**

**I haven't had access to a computer lately, as my family has been doing some wonky shit. I am TRYING to update as quickly and fluently as possible, and I'm sorry that there is SUCH a long wait between chapters.**

**Now that the story is heating up, and is going to start spiraling out of control, I'm going to be working more.**

**Once again, I'm terribly sorry for the wait. Please read and review. **

**-Suzanne**


End file.
